Between the million-dollar drone show (culminating in celestial images of a rider-less surfboard cresting atop a blue wave) and a procession of liveried junks that plied Victoria Harbour for days beforehand, it was clear Pharrell had Hong Kong’s maritime legacy firmly in mind for his first pre-fall menswear show at Louis Vuitton.
Only the newly minted creative director’s second overall show at the Maison so far, Men’s Pre-Fall 2024 was a suitably glossy affair: set amidst the iconic Avenue of Stars, Hong Kong Island’s cyberpunk vistas looming in the background.
Technically the first time Louis Vuitton has ever staged a Hong Kong fashion show in its 169-year history, Pharrell’s sophomore effort is being treated by Asia-based industry watchers as a sign that it’s, finally, “full steam ahead” for the territory’s luxury goods business. (Dior recently announced it will be holding a similar presentation of pre-fall menswear in the city, early in 2024.)
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The guestlist was a tome for pop culture junkies: stuffed to the gills with regular Pharrell associates such as Verbal and Pusha T. Other notable attendees included Margaret Zhang, the Aussie-born EIC of Vogue China; legendary Hong Kong actor, Chow Yun-fat; and Felix, of ‘Stray Kids’ fame.
Given the commercial expectations that underline any menswear offering at LV, it was great to see a handful of well-delineated and fleshed-out themes at the core of this Pre-Fall collection. Pharrell explored new facets of established cultural archetypes: like dandified ‘Sailors’, dressed up in sharp double-breasted suits emblazoned with the Maison’s iconography; and luxe ‘Surfer’ bros, turned out in matching Hawaiian shirt-and-short combos.
Bags were, predictably, among the show’s most propulsive conversation starters: starting strong with an original, seemingly hard-cased crossbody number and a few baguette-shaped numbers woven in raffia.
Check out a selection of our favourite looks of the Louis Vuitton Pre-Fall 2024 menswear below, or alternatively — watch the full show via the video up top.
