For millennia, people have been drawn to the sea. From ancient Greeks spinning tales about years-long voyages to modern-day algorithms pushing a weird obsession with the North Sea’s treacherousness, we, as a species, are fascinated by the ocean’s vastness and its power. For Spring/Summer 2027, Pharrell Williams turned to the ocean and surfing culture — rooted in the awesome natural beauty of waves — for his inspiration.
And, much like the ocean, people are drawn to Pharrell and his vision for Louis Vuitton.
A day later, everybody was talking about the incredible, immersive set in which the show was staged, which featured models walking out of a tunnel that also doubled as a wave; yet the discussion about the show started far earlier, when Pharrell offered a first glimpse at a new footwear silhouette that bore a striking resemblance to Vans’ Authentic sneaker — or any deck shoe for that matter.
While some might scoff at the notion of such a simple silhouette being reimagined at a premium price point, it stayed true to what Pharrell seems to have set out to do with this collection: elevate the types of clothes that surfers and skaters actually wear, rather than develop an entirely new wardrobe for some imagined customer.
Pharrell’s Spring/Summer 2027 Louis Vuitton Collection Draws on Surf Culture
VICTOR WEMBANYAMA. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON.
Pharrell’s Spring/Summer 2027 Louis Vuitton Collection Draws on Surf Culture
CHARLES MELTON. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON.
Pharrell’s Spring/Summer 2027 Louis Vuitton Collection Draws on Surf Culture
JEREMY ALLEN WHITE. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON.
Pharrell’s Spring/Summer 2027 Louis Vuitton Collection Draws on Surf Culture
MISSY ELLIOT. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON.
Pharrell’s Spring/Summer 2027 Louis Vuitton Collection Draws on Surf Culture
JACKSON WANG. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON.
Pharrell’s Spring/Summer 2027 Louis Vuitton Collection Draws on Surf Culture
LOLA YOUNG. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON.
Pharrell’s Spring/Summer 2027 Louis Vuitton Collection Draws on Surf Culture
QUAVO. PHOTO COURTESY OF LOUIS VUITTON.
There were jeans that looked as if they had been washed in the sea, the way raw denim aficionados are wont to do. Zip-up hooded jackets paired with pinstriped baggy shorts and slipper boots — the uniform of choice for a blasé skater or surfer. There were knit robes, worn as jackets (or were they jackets inspired by robes?) that could have been worn by The Dude in The Big Lebowski. There were simple but chic knits that were sumptuously soft, worn here with jeans and leather pants and lightweight trousers but which I imagine might be perfect with a pair of shorts. Predictably, in a collection that drew on surfing and the ocean, there were wetsuits and surfboards and nautical stripes. But there was also a limited edition Pinarello bike. Because surfers love to bike (just maybe not on the pinnacle of road bikes), so why not?
As with last season, the silhouette of Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton dandy continues to evolve: the trousers are straighter and more flowing, rather than cinched at the thigh and flared below the knee; the tailoring is more traditional, though I wish the three-button jackets would give way to two-button or three-roll-two options.
What I respect about Pharrell’s tenure is that, even if he knows that people will talk about it and people will buy it, he continues to try to be better. The silhouette he began his tenure with wasn’t a huge break from what Virgil Abloh had been offering, but it didn’t quite work. He’s tinkered and tweaked it and this feels more natural.
Sometimes, when you’re surfing, you wait and wait and try and try to catch the perfect wave, but it just doesn’t work. Until it does.
The moon’s pull is what gives us tides and tides give us waves. Pharrell’s pull is undeniable; he’s made waves with Damoflage, new versions of the Millionaire sunglasses and inventive takes on the iconic Speedy; but none of those have wholly captured the public imagination.
Maybe, just maybe, his new sneaker will be the wave that everybody rides next summer.
