Louis Vuitton Men surfs while the world overheats At the brand's SS27, a wave for the 1%

There is no longer any point in being offended when luxury continues to behave like luxury. You cannot criticize a world that was built to exclude, flaunt and indulge in excess. Yet, Louis Vuitton Men's show in Paris demonstrated a new level of insensitivity that, especially in a country like France, cannot go unnoticed. At the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, the maison installed a huge artificial beach, complete with a wall of water designed to evoke the image of a never-ending wave. It was a remarkable sight, one that nevertheless felt disheartening when considering that France was experiencing its hottest day on record since 1947.

The collection

Louis Vuitton Men's SS27 draws inspiration from the world of surfing, as evidenced by the monogrammed surfboards and technical wetsuits shown on the runway yesterday (the first ever signed by the Maison). The collection also featured Loro Piana cashmere cardigans, bathrobe-like garments reinterpreting what surfers wear after training sessions, Hawaiian shirts and a few predictable references to the aesthetics of skateboarding (predictable because it remains Pharrell's favorite subculture).

As with every Louis Vuitton Men's collection worthy of the name, great emphasis was placed on the quality of the materials, a form of luxury that under the American producer's creative direction translates into sneakers that look a little too much like Vans, hand-painted exotic leather, tailored suits and denim embellished with shells and precious stones.

Despite the surfboards and sneakers, compared to previous seasons Pharrell's flair is more restrained: there are fewer graphics, fewer bright colors mixed together and fewer references to the hip-hop wardrobe he grew up with. It is one of Pharrell's most serious and conservative collections since joining the atelier (although the color palette was even darker for FW26), confirming that the brand's main focus today is not so much media engagement as it is appealing to its wealthiest clients.

A symbolic venue

The most ironic detail of Louis Vuitton Men's show is that the brand chose to install a massive realistic wave at the Cité Internationale Universitaire de Paris, the century-old foundation that manages the student residences of the French capital. In a place where more than 6,000 future researchers, doctors and intellectuals live, Louis Vuitton delivered one of fashion's most insensitive gestures in recent years: a striking example of water waste on the hottest day France has ever experienced.

It must be acknowledged, however, that Louis Vuitton Men's primary concern is not climate activism, but rather capturing the attention of the 1% of the population who do not care that the planet is becoming unlivable for the remaining 99%: they can simply board their powerful private jet and fly to Hawaii with their Louis Vuitton-branded surfboard. And thankfully, LVMH's Water Conservation Plan, which was supposed to reduce the Group's water consumption by 30% by 2030, is apparently still there.