Rihanna's Full Louis Vuitton Campaign Is Here
Marking Pharrell’s first campaign for the House as menswear artistic director, with three stills and an accompanying video.
Update: Pharrell’s first-ever Louis Vuitton show was a star-studded fashion spectacle — one that effectively ushered in the House’s next era with the unveiling of its Spring/Summer 2024 collection. In its aftermath, the freshly-minted menswear artistic director’s takeover continues, with the official launch of his first, fully-fledged SS24 campaign, starring Rihanna.
Shot by Keizō Kitajima and Martine Syms, the imagery was previously teased on the face of a building in Paris ahead of the brand’s opening-night runway, per Pharrell’s Instagram. Now, with three official posters and an accompanying video, the full campaign looks to highlight Louis Vuitton’s new Speedy: an adaptation of its emblematic Speedy bag that’s inspired by the locale of Pharrell’s entrance into luxury, Canal Street in New York City.
Marking an evolution from the original Speedy, which was made by Gaston-Louis Vuitton in 1930, this latest iteration captures LV’s signature savoir-faire alongside the stylistic attitude of the Lower Manhattan street. Famously, the signature silhouette catapulted to its icon status in 1965, when Audrey Hepburn requested a smaller version to fit her petite frame.
Leveraging Rihanna’s celebrity, the visuals spotlight the polymath in pregnancy, as she lugs several versions of the bag through the streets, with a casual cup of coffee in hand. Here, Rih becomes “a symbol of human empowerment and the quintessential everyday icon,” as the brand puts it.
See all the campaign stills in the gallery above, and watch the official campaign video below.
Original Story: Just days away from Pharrell‘s official debut as Louis Vuitton‘s menswear creative director, the multi-hyphenate gives a teaser of what to expect with his very first campaign for the house.
Taking to Instagram, Pharrell shares a photo of himself standing in front of a massive billboard in Paris for his first Louis Vuitton campaign starring Rihanna. The duo’s relationship go way back — far before their 2017 collaboration for N.E.R.D‘s comeback track “Lemon.” In 2020, Rihanna also announced that she was working on her new album with Pharrell. The Instagram post was accompanied by a simple caption that stated, “LOUIS VUITTON MEN Spring-Summer 2024.” In the campaign, Rihanna can be seen in her now iconic pregnant bearing style, all while carrying some of Louis Vuitton’s most classic keepall silhouettes in various vibrant colors. Rihanna is dressed in all-black to contrast the bags, as is Pharrell who is standing in front of the billboard.
Pharrell and Louis Vuitton’s relationship has been ever-growing. Perhaps one of his most memorable works with the house include his 2004 collaboration with Louis Vuitton and Nigo for a sunglasses collection, better known as the Millionaire. Fast forward almost two decades, the artist is now the creative director, succeeding the late-Virgil Abloh. Pharrell debuts his first collection for Louis Vuitton on June 20 at Paris Fashion Week. Take a look at the campaign below.
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