The stunning modernity of Pharrell and Nigo's Louis Vuitton

After every revolution comes normalization. In his time, Virgil Abloh brought radical change to Louis Vuitton – but after his still-mourned passing, Pharrell’s task has been to take his volcanic innovations and codify them into a precise, clean system that is undoubtedly commercial yet also succeeds in presenting the most elevated version of today’s menswear. Far from proposing alternatives and possibilities that may or may not work, Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton has its feet firmly planted in reality, its wardrobe (whose style the creative director has dubbed “dandy streetwear”) representing an “ideal self” for today’s man, where the vintage suggestions of a strict yet welcoming tailoring elevate and mature the sportier and more everyday elements of the garments. His looks have a cleanliness, a generosity of proportions and details, and such complete wearability that they appear as modern classics. Now on his seventh collection for the brand, and with the great footwear designer Thibo Denis on his team, Pharrell seems to have found his own formula, consisting equally of preppy tailoring and skatewear, both pop and classic. It’s a formula that doesn’t involve major variations, though it has proven flexible enough to absorb atmospheres that are at times western and at other times nautical over time, and that above all must be monitored and maintained in a precise balance – but after the SS25 collection last summer, where the modernity of the sportswear elements overshadowed the refinement of the more sartorial and “noble” details, the FW25 show has further sharpened the focus on what works so well in Pharrell’s taste and vision.

Today people dress precisely like this, or at least they would like to – and Pharrell showcases the most elevated versions of this imagination. The bootcut pants, the cropped and structured jacket cut from a fabric of stunning volume and shine, the delightful precision in the cuts and placement of seams and buttons, the dense texture of the coats. It helps greatly that this process of crystallizing a new modern canon (where the varsity jacket and jorts coexist with vintage outerwear and tailored suits) has the participation of Nigo, who, besides being a long-time collaborator for both Pharrell and Louis Vuitton, is a passionate vintage collector, with a personal archive of ten thousand pieces, and therefore knows the art of translating the timeless functionality of vintage into a modern design, not without its flights of fancy, but never crudely contemporary. The idea one forms of this collection, which saw Pharrell and Nigo collaborate on "archives of the future", meaning presumably pieces that will be collectible in the future, is one of complete wholesomeness: the man they have in mind is neither young nor old, his soul is not clouded by inner turmoil, his elegance is free of awkwardness – but most of all, it reflects that very Millennial attitude of finding a midpoint between more classic menswear, mature and familiar silhouettes, and that kind of practical and youthful clothing which is a legacy of the Y2K style that the two creative directors had widely experimented with from 2003 onward with Billionaire Boys Club and ICECREAM – albeit with a more pleasant roundness, free from excesses and abrupt showiness.

To be Louis Vuitton, in fact, and thus a brand that relies heavily on the power of logos and the nonchalance with which they are presented, the collection relies on cuts and materials with extreme confidence and ease. This does not mean that the logos are absent, but rather that, even when they dominate outfits such as grey suits, leather jackets, and outerwear, they do so without ever crossing the line that separates the eccentric from the excessive. Nigo's influence, which brings techniques like shippo and kasuri weavings or boro and sashiko embroideries, greatly reinforces that idea of craftsmanship that is both classic and modern, giving the collection its freshness. The final impression is that of a highly structured, highly detailed wardrobe, the recognizability of whose silhouettes never becomes predictability but only fullness and clarity of vision. It also helps that the luxury details that elevate even very everyday pieces are immediately evident: Pharrell and Nigo’s concept of luxury is tangible and immediate, not cerebral, rather solid and energetic; concrete but not ostentatious, entirely affirmative. It is not a fashion that is revolutionary or intellectual in itself, but at the same time, there is perhaps no one today in the luxury or streetwear scene capable of bringing to the runway such a sharply focused style, executed flawlessly.