Forever Phriends: Nigo and Pharrell Tap The Archives for a Curated Collection of Dandy Streetwear
Review of Louis Vuitton Fall 2025 Men’s Fashion Show
By Angela Baidoo
THE COLLECTION
THE VIBE
Future-Made, Curated Collaboration, Dandy Streetwear
When LVMH CEO Bernard Arnault stated that Louis Vuitton had transcended the linear view of simply being a fashion brand, to become a much more expansive and all-encompassing cultural phenomena, today’s fall 2025 presentation was the embodiment of that vision. As Pharrell and long-time friend and collaborator Nigo (born Nagao Tomoaki) came together in a long overdue creative convergence for the luxury powerhouse.
Introduced by renowned jeweller to the hip hop community Jacob the Jeweller’ (real name Jacob Arabo) their bond was solidified over a shared reverence for music (Pharrell via N.E.R.D. and the Neptunes and Nigo having produced four albums including ‘I Know Nigo!’), fashion (Billionaire Boys Club, ICECREAM, Humanrace, and A Bathing Ape/BAPE), community-building, and entrepreneurship. Both have been instrumental in the breakthrough of streetwear into the mainstream, and now both find themselves at the helm of two major luxury brands as creative directors – Pharrel with Louis Vuitton and Nigo at Kenzo – so what better time to meet as like minds on a fashion project.
Titled “Remember The Future” todays show was broken down in the same vein as a curated exhibition, with a live runway of looks mirroring each artefact. Part of todays show set was an unrivalled glimpse into the collected works of Louis Vuitton, Pharrell and Nigo. Set in glass vitrines and designed by Masamichi Katayama’s design company Wonderwall each case illustrated “cultural moments in time that impacted – or were impacted by – the two collaborators and the House”. On display was a headphone handbag from Marc Jacobs, a Louis Vuitton in collaboration with Takashi Murakami Courrier trunk (Murakmai was naturally in attendance after recently re-releasing an update of said collaboration with a campaign fronted by Zendaya), A World’s End by Vivienne Westwood hat customised by Pharrell, Louis Vuitton by Kim Jones in collaboration with Supreme Baseball gloves and a Louis Vuitton by Virgil Abloh Varsity Jacket. This “Archive of LVERS” as it was aptly named in the notes will certainly draw some of the houses’ biggest crowds when it comes to clients, editors, buyers and friends of the house making appointments to revisit the collection, because whether its voyeurism or just plain curiosity the bringing together of some of the artefacts from both a storied fashion house and two avid collectors is exactly what is helping to reshape Louis Vuitton into a cultural force, where its products are seen as much as collectors items as they are status symbols of what the duo refer to as “Dandy Streetwear”.
The collection itself was a slow evolution of the silhouettes that Pharrell has put forth as his wardrobe builders for his Louis Vuitton LVERS, there was the ever-present bomber, varsity and biker jackets, the tailored short suit, the cropped jacket, graphic knitwear, highly-stylised leatherwork, and the reworked Damoflage and Damier. This season the collaboration with Nigo also lead to interspersed Japanese motifs and techniques, explained as “Kasuri weaving…exercised in tailoring and outerwear, and Cherry Blossom Damoflage [which] pays homage to sakura”. In amongst the more overt nods to the streetwear aesthetic, which will be sure to please those customers who prefer to live their luxury fashion fantasies out loud, were a considerable amount of clothing cut for a future archive, looks which leapt forward “through the telescope of history” as Pharrell and Nigo’s notes put it. Kimono sleeve jackets, an embellished tweed overcoat, collarless wrap leather jackets, and a denim bib-front shirt with Nehru collar. The graffiti-print, reminiscent of the Stephen Sprouse collaboration from spring 2001 was also given a menswear update as Nigo scribbled his own version onto denim and bags, hand-writing the words ‘Louis Vuitton’ and LVERS’ in both French and Japanese.
THE DIRECTION
THE WRAP UP
As the luxury industry enters another year of potentially slowing sales, the case is being made stronger (with each activation by brands within the luxury sphere) for expansion into the cultural and experiential space as the way to go. Thinking beyond pure purchasing and inviting the customer into the brand universe via more experimental touch-points will earn some much-needed brownie points with customers, especially the aspirational set that luxury brands are desperate to win back.
