Under the glowing Parisian sun and the colorful scaffolding of the Centre Pompidou, Pharrell Williams unveiled his Spring/Summer 2026 men’s collection for Louis Vuitton yesterday. The multi-sensory odyssey began with travel—from the heart of Paris, where the maison’s atelier is, to the vibrancy of India. In collaboration with Studio Mumbai and its founder, Bijoy Jain, Williams created both a setting and a collection rooted in metaphors of journey, consciousness, and community.
A Louis Vuitton Line Inspired by India
Studio Mumbai transformed the show space into a life-sized version of Snakes and Ladders—the ancient Indian game originally conceived as a mandala in the second century. Here, the collection explored chance, karma, elevation, and downfall—all concepts linked to the ethos of Williams and Louis Vuitton, too. Painted wood and hand-crafted symbolism surrounded attendees, turning models and guests into players in a metaphysical game of possibility. But the clothing—with sun-faded stitches, timeworn textures, and hand-embroidered details—executed the designer’s vision, showing a global contemporary line informed by the rhythm of India’s streets, the palette of its landscapes, and the elegance of its ceremonial heritage.
Reimagined Indian Influences
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Williams’ approach to Indian inspiration was rooted in transformation. Elements of modern Indian sartorialism—including textiles and tailoring—were imagined in contemporary silhouettes. Sun-faded silks and softened leathers evoked garments touched by time and light, while luxurious blends like cashmere with llama and vicuña took on raw, organic finishes. The color palette also echoed this with an earthy spectrum: burgundy and burnt orange weathered to dusty pastels; camel reimagined as light beige; navy and violet blended into indigo purples evocative of Indian twilight skies. Denim, woven rather than dyed, allowed white threads to reveal themselves with wear—another nod to the collection’s central theme of transformation over time.
Dandyism in Motion
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
At the heart of the collection was the evolution of dandyism. Williams’ dandy isn’t overly polished, but instead reflective of layered, intuitive, and deeply lived-in elements. Tailoring was soft and loose, jackets were seen unbuttoned over shorts or superlight trousers, while checks and stripes were seen on materials like boucle, chenille, and even metal yarn—some even paired and clasing in harmony, evoking the sensorial overload of Indian cities. Pajama stripes and cricket ties found their way into both casual and formal pieces, linking the wardrobe to both the sporting and the ceremonial.
Mountaineering also made a subtle but symbolic appearance, with fleece blousons, hiking boots, and shell jackets adorned in heritage patterns. It was a gesture to India’s proximity to the Himalayas, blending the rugged with the refined—a reflection of the balance between man and nature found in Studio Mumbai’s architectural philosophy.
The Darjeeling Limited
Pharrell Williams, courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
One of the show’s most memorable moments was the introduction of the LV x The Darjeeling Limited motif. Originally created for Wes Anderson’s 2007 film, the tapestry of animals and flora found a second life across shirts, shorts, coats, and accessories. This was storytelling at its most luxurious: the past re-embroidered, the cinematic recontextualized. The motif even appeared on Louis Vuitton’s storied luggage, including semi-tan vegetable leather pieces tagged with travel numbers and embossed with an “L.V.M.” crest—a subtle homage to the film’s trio of brothers and their fictional journey across India.
Savoir-Faire to the Forefront
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Pharrell’s elevation of everyday pieces continued in the collection’s astonishing craftsmanship. Outerwear hoods encrusted with stones, collars adorned with hand-embroidered lace, and shell suits woven from metal yarn took streetwear and utility into the realm of haute couture. Trompe l’oeil techniques and exquisite textile illusions invited tactile engagement—a reminder that nothing in this collection was as it first appeared. Bags included the marks of age and heritage: crocodile skins dyed in Sahara greens, ostrich leathers in faded pastels, and leather trunks encrusted with pearls. Footwear echoed the same ethos, featuring loafers, leather hiking boots, and flip-flops constructed with artisanal precision.
A Work of Art
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Courtesy of Louis Vuitton.
Accessories and jewelry completed the ensemble with care. Beanies appeared frayed and sun-bleached, neckties referenced cricket uniforms, and belts bore webbed frog buckles inspired by Louis Vuitton’s trunk closures. Bracelets set with onyx, howlite, and tiger’s eye felt like amulets for travel. The eyewear channeled both nostalgia and futurism with frameless styles and in chromatic, sun-kissed hues. For the closer, the show ended with a global soundtrack curated and composed by Pharrell himself. Collaborations with A.R. Rahman, Voices of Fire, Clipse, and Tyler, the Creator turned the runway into a concert stage—a spiritual space where fashion and music merged once again.
