Swae Lee Saddles Up in Paris for Louis Vuitton's Fall 2024 Menswear Show

Louis Vuitton’s Fall 2024 runway transformed into the Wild Wild West on the opening night of Paris Fashion Week. The massive showcase marked Pharrell’s third whirl at the helm of the colossal French luxury brand; and it was a rodeo for fashion’s history books, with starry cowboys trotting all over the Fondation venue.

The designer’s famous comrades — Bradley Cooper, Jackson Wang, RIIZE, Mumford & Sons, Carey Mulligan, LaKeith Stanfield, Omar Sy, Tyshawn Jones — lined the countrified front row, often dressing with a rancher’s twang. Among them, Swae Lee greeted Hypebeast with a giddied “howdy,” offering us a closer look at his experience attending the week’s most-talked-about show.

Michael Gilbert

“Checking out the fit one last time before heading to the LV Men’s F/W 2024 show.”

Michael Gilbert

“Final moments at the hotel before heading out.”

Tuesday night’s show wasn’t Lee’s first turn at the LV ranch. The “Black Beatles” rapper previously attended Pharrell’s second outing at the French fashion house for Pre-Fall 2024, on Hong Kong’s waterfront Avenue of Stars in November. That runway, which corralled upwards of 1,200 guests and earned more than 710 million views on Weibo alone, served as the launchpad for Swae’s latest track, “Airplane Tickets,” with Rauw Alejandro and Pharrell himself. Louis Vuitton’s runways are known to double as springboards for new music (Fall 2024 featured an unreleased track from Miley Cyrus’ Bangerz, titled “Doctor”), but this time around, Swae entered Pharrell’s enclosure as a spectator.

Michael Gilbert

“Leaving the hotel and heading to the show.”

Michael Gilbert

“Sending some last-minute text messages before getting out of the car for the show. You can hear the crowd from the car!”

At the show, Lee transformed into a Louis Vuitton Fall 2024 cowboy, donning a pastoral ensemble that was fresh on the runway. He wore a black, white and grey iteration of Louis Vuitton’s checkered jacket, which many likened to a Minecraft scene following its initial debut. The coat was paired with a cowboy hat, adorned with LV’s emblem, which was worn by several models walking in the show. Slim, black trousers were cut open above Swae’s LV trainers, and an icy “SL” chain completed his ‘fit. By the look of him, you’d expect a hollered “yeehaw!”; instead, Swae told Hypebeast, “Louis is for lovers,” upon entrance to the show.

Michael Gilbert

“Feeling good in Louis Vuitton.”

Michael Gilbert

“The Louis Vuitton show is always amazing! Shoutout to Pharrell.”

Lee’s look mirrored the “American Dandy” vision that cascaded down Pharrell’s rural, Virginia-inspired runway. Western embellishments pumped ranch-dwelling personality into overcoats, denim jackets and blazers, without straying from the savoir-faire of Louis Vuitton. Buffalo check, decorative chaps, big-buckled belts and wide-brimmed hats painted a realistic picture of the French fashion house’s cattleman — the only thing missing was his lasso. Notably, the line also featured a bevy of Indigenous designs, like turquoise Speedy Bags and frayed coats, made in collaboration with artists from the Dakota and Lakota nations.

Following the show’s conclusion, Swae headed backstage to congratulate Pharrell on the spectacle. There, he ran into Ozuna and his “Airplaine Tickets” collaborator, Rauw Alejandro, pictured below.

Michael Gilbert

“Ran into my homies Rauw Alejandro & Ozuna backstage”

“Shoutout Pharrell,” Swae said before departing for the night. “LV cowboys for life.”