Ever since taking over as creative director of Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams has been doing things a little differently. The man has always had an eye for luxury the likes of which the House of LV has long been known for, but coming aboard that ship didn’t mean leaving behind everything that made him. Pharrell’s roots have long been in hip-hop, streetwear, and skate culture, and he’s carried all of it into his time at Louis Vuitton. Past collections have included cowboy-core attire as well as collaborations with workwear brands like Carhartt and Timberland. The brand’s latest show in Paris incorporated elements of surf and skate culture, the latter of which has been a key point of inspiration for the famed mogul. And now the latest instalment of Pharrell’s endeavour to diversify what clothing can be under Louis Vuitton is here: get ready to get familiar with Silk Tech.
The house’s latest innovation under Williams clearly draws from functional gorpcore wear. Silk Tech is a fascinating luxury innovation that finds the middle ground between waterproof workwear and the luxe wares you’d expect from Louis Vuitton. Applied across a variety of products, the Silk Tech innovation blends luxurious silk with recycled nylon materials (the ratio of each fabric varies from product to product, spanning apparel, sneakers, and bags alike). The aim is to pioneer a waterproof material that doesn’t feel as rough and rugged as something from Arc’teryx or Stone Island might. On the contrary, Silk Tech aims to preserve one of the key elements of luxury clothing — drape — even amidst difficult weather conditions and through aggressive wear. The silk element of the textile is intended to help a piece maintain its shape and drape throughout heavy wear, while the hardier blends like nylon allow it to hold up to that heavy wear to begin with. Like much of Williams’ tenure at LV, it manages to blend the best of both worlds.
In addition to the innovative blend of textiles, each piece is also treated with a hydrophobic layer in order to maximize its resistance to the elements. The result is luxury wares that can be put to the test — if you so desire, that is. It’s a little hard to imagine going hiking in a pair of silk Louis Vuitton shorts or a branded windbreaker, but with Silk Tech it’s all possible. There might be a bit of a mental leap to get to a place where you’re comfortable doing it, but the pieces will hold up should you choose to test them.
Perhaps more importantly, Silk Tech feels like an important step in Williams’ tenure with Louis Vuitton. His work over the last few years has pushed a storied fashion house into territory far outside of its traditional comfort zone. While many houses have struggled to adapt to the shifting idea of luxury in the 21st century, Williams has made LV as vital an institution as ever. Maybe something like Silk Tech doesn’t change the world, or even performance wear across the industry, but it’s a big swing in an industry terrified of those.
The Louis Vuitton Silk Tech collection is available for preorder via its website now.
