Louis Vuitton to host its first men’s prefall show in Hong Kong – can new creative director Pharrell Williams outdo his debut menswear collection from Paris Fashion Week?

Oct 10 , 2023

The Louis Vuitton’s spring/summer 2024 menswear show took place in Paris, in June. Photo: Handout

Producer and rapper Pharrell Williams unveiled his first menswear collection for Louis Vuitton in June, witnessed by the likes of Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian

Louis Vuitton opened its first boutique in Hong Kong in 1979 and has held various exhibitions there, but the November 30 event will be the first time it is hosting a fashion show in the city

If you need further proof that Hong Kong is officially back on the global fashion map, Louis Vuitton’s decision to stage its first-ever menswear pre-fall show in the city on November 30 will put your doubts to rest.

Pharrell Williams, who earlier this year replaced the late Virgil Abloh as Louis Vuitton menswear creative director, and Louis Vuitton’s CEO Pietro Beccari will have to come up with something quite memorable to outdo themselves after making headlines with the unveiling of Williams’ first collection for the brand during men’s fashion week in Paris in June.

That show, attended by the likes of Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, broke records by gaining more than 1 billion online views, according to figures provided by Louis Vuitton to fashion trade publication WWD, becoming a viral sensation.

Although Louis Vuitton has a long history with Hong Kong – it opened its first boutique in the Asian hub in 1979 and has held various exhibitions there – it has never hosted a fashion show in the city.

Hong Kong has historically been one of the most important luxury markets in the world, thanks to the large numbers of inbound travellers from mainland China and other parts of Asia visiting the city and embarking on shopping sprees to take advantage of its sophisticated retail scene and lower prices for luxury goods. (Hong Kong is a free port and levies no customs tariff on imported goods.)

In recent years, however, the city has lost some of its allure due to the double whammy of anti-government protests that began in 2019 and ended the following year, and protracted border closures that kept visitors away during the coronavirus pandemic.

Shoppers line up outside the Louis Vuitton shop on Canton Road in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong, on September 28. Photo: Yik Yeung-man

Since borders reopened in late 2022 though, retail sales have significantly improved, especially in the prime retail area of Canton Road. Before the pandemic, the shopping thoroughfare was home to the best performing boutiques in the world for many luxury brands. Sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels for most stores located there, recent conversations with various global luxury CEOs revealed, due to an increase in tourist arrivals, although worries remain about the property crisis affecting the economy in China.