Pharrell Features Henry Taylor in Louis Vuitton Debut

Henry Taylor b. 1958, United States Follow +

The guest list included Beyoncé, Jay-Z, Rihanna, A$AP Rocky, Zendaya, and Kim Kardashian, but Pharell Williams chose to shine a spotlight on 65-year-old painter Henry Taylor in his debut outing as Louis Vuitton’s Creative Director.

Miniature portraits by the artist were embroidered on fashion and accessories at Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Spring-Summer 2024 show on Pont Neuf—the oldest standing bridge in Paris—last night.

‘Henry is a genius man and having him involved in this is beautiful, not only because he’s talented but because that’s what this platform is for,’ Williams told Wallpaper.

‘We have all kinds of human beings as ambassadors but I put a particular focus on African descent because we don’t get enough of that light,’ he continued. ‘That may sound like I have some sort of agenda, but I don’t have an agenda. I am the agenda.’

Pharrell took over as Creative Director of Louis Vuitton following the death of Virgil Abloh in 2021.

‘Virgil has always been a brother in spirit,’ Williams said. ‘He left a lot of hits with the house. As far as I’m concerned, I’m collaborating with his spirit.’

Positioning itself as a cultural brand—something more ambitious than a mere fashion house—Louis Vuitton has pushed its associations with artists in recent years. These efforts haven’t always gone smoothly.

The Joan Mitchell Foundation cried foul when Louis Vuitton used a Joan Mitchell painting in an advertisement without permission and, in their collaboration with the Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama, some saw the use of robots to represent her as exploitative.

On his Instagram, though, Taylor posted excitedly (and almost incomprehensibly) about his contribution to the show, paraphrasing the song ‘Good Morning’ by Kanye West.

’ ” GOOD MORNING , on this day we become lengendary. I ‘m like fly MALVOLM X by any means necessary .... ” Ye,’ he wrote.

Taylor will be the first artist to exhibit at Hauser & Wirth‘s new Paris gallery when it opens on 14 October. —[O]

Main image: Henry Taylor, Untitled (2023) (detail). Acrylic on canvas. 213.4 x 152.1 x 6 cm. © Henry Taylor. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth. Photo: Jeff McLane.