Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton show in Hong Kong was a homage to his ‘Asian siblings’, says the star of the Hawaii-inspired pre-fall 2024 menswear collection at the Avenue of Stars

Dec 1 , 2023

Pharrell Williams takes a bow at the end of the Louis Vuitton men’s pre-fall 2024 show at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong. Photo: Jonathan Wong

For its men’s pre-fall 2024 show, Louis Vuitton decamped to Hong Kong for a spectacular outing against the backdrop of the city’s dazzling Victoria Harbour skyline

While Rihanna, Beyoncé and Kim Kardashian watched his Paris Fashion Week debut, plenty of VIP clients turned up to see this new tropical-inspired collection, with plenty of nods to his personal style

Louis Vuitton took over the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong’s Tsim Sha Tsui to reveal its men’s pre-fall 2024 collection, designed by men’s creative director Pharrell Williams. The whole city had been looking forward to the mega show and even government entities such as the Hong Kong Tourism Board were involved in the project.

While the event lacked the star wattage of Williams’ Paris debut in June – which attracted celebrities such as Rihanna, Beyoncé, Jay-Z and Kim Kardashian – the sheer number of VIP clients from mainland China and beyond showed the importance of the region to the LVMH-owned label.

A model in a look designed by Pharrell Williams for Louis Vuitton during its men’s pre-fall 2024 show in Hong Kong, on November 30. Photo: Reuters

The premise of the collection – presented at night against the backdrop of the city’s dazzling Victoria Harbour skyline – was to show a Hong Kong businessman travelling to Hawaii, but then having to interrupt his trip to go back to the city for an urgent meeting, Williams explained in a pre-show interview.

“The archetypes that we chose were a sailor and someone on holiday – there’s a lot of floral inspiration and a deep dive into exotic colourways and interesting pairings of colours,” Williams said. “The silhouette is consistent with what I’m infatuated with when it comes to formal, which is the future of chic: dandy. There’s a lot of dandy in the sailor silhouette and the resort holiday silhouette – an explosion of colours in a super subtle way.”

Elements of Williams’ personal style – a sort of polished prep with a mix of streetwear and just the right amount of bling – were peppered throughout the collection, which had a tropical and nautical vibe, but also some soft tailoring inspired by sailors’ uniforms.

The best looks were the ones that nodded to the carefree vibe of Hawaii: sequinned aloha shirts paired with matching shorts, embroidered bomber jackets and scuba suits.

Hawaii-inspired prints were a major theme of the show. Photo: AP

A look from the collection, featuring a Speedy bag. Photo: Handout

Unsurprisingly from a label known for its bestselling leather goods, there were bags aplenty, from beach-ready Damier Raffia totes to monogram Keepalls. Sunglasses, berets, chain jewellery and more accessories completed the looks.