The Louis Vuitton ‘Menswear CATWALK’ Book Packs Three Decades of Runway Into 632 Pages
Five creative directors, from Marc Jacobs to Pharrell Williams, share the spotlight across more than 50 collections.
Summary
Thames & Hudson is launching the menswear edition of its CATWALK series with a hardcover volume dedicated to Louis Vuitton’s men’s collections
The book covers nearly 30 years of shows, from the House’s first standalone men’s presentation to the current era under Pharrell Williams
Fashion critic Anders Christian Madsen penned the introduction, the designer biographies and the texts accompanying each collection
Louis Vuitton and Thames & Hudson are releasing Louis Vuitton Menswear CATWALK, a 632-page hardcover that kicks off the publisher’s new menswear-focused CATWALK series. Arriving November 5, the book documents the House’s men’s collections through original runway photography, beginning with the Marc Jacobs years and running all the way to Pharrell Williams’ current tenure.
At 277 x 190 mm, the volume is built as a working reference rather than a coffee-table afterthought. More than 1,200 curated catwalk images spread across over 50 collections, cataloging hundreds of looks alongside the accessories, close-up details and set designs that defined each season. The timeline opens with Louis Vuitton’s first standalone men’s show in January 2001, and the book is published in both English and French editions.
Anders Christian Madsen supplies the connective tissue, writing the introduction, a biography for each designer and the commentary paired with every collection. His framing ties the menswear story back to the House’s founding trunk of 1854, arguing that Louis Vuitton has always designed for people on the move and that its men’s clothing reflects style codes shared across borders. Five designers carry that idea through the book: Marc Jacobs, Paul Helbers, Kim Jones, Virgil Abloh and Pharrell Williams.
Each of those chapters carries its own weight in streetwear history. Paul Helbers led the men’s studio in the years bridging Jacobs and Jones, while Kim Jones’ 2011 to 2018 run produced the FW17 Supreme collaboration, one of the most heavily covered fashion moments in Hypebeast’s archive. Virgil Abloh followed in 2018 as Men’s Artistic Director, debuting with his rainbow-lined SS19 runway at the Palais-Royal before his passing in 2021, and Pharrell Williams took over in 2023 with a debut show staged on Paris’ Pont Neuf.
Williams, now Men’s Creative Director, lays out his guiding philosophy within the book’s pages. “Our codes here are very simple: chic, wearable and well-made… I don’t design to fashion, I design a standard,” he says, adding that the House prioritizes craftsmanship for people who notice the finer details over one-off statement pieces.
Louis Vuitton Menswear CATWALK arrives November 5 at Louis Vuitton stores and through booksellers worldwide.
