When the invite to the Louis Vuitton Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear runway show stated that it was to be held at Paris’ Jardin d’Acclimatation, a recreation of a Western film set was not something anyone could’ve imagined. Yet, there we were, standing next to a shiny, red food truck with an equally red sign (the kind that welcomes you upon crossing state lines in the United States) emblazoned with “Paris LVirginia”.
It was only men’s creative director Pharrell Williams’ third runway show for the Maison but there’s already a sense that the menswear shows are slated to be multi-sensorial experiences. If Williams’ debut on Paris’ Pont Neuf—in view of LVMH-owned Cheval Blanc and La Samaritaine as well as the Louis Vuitton headquarters—included a live band and choir, the Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear show took things a step further.
Past the red sign, the show space brought the American West to Paris. Massive screens spanned the entire indoor circumference, depicting a desert landscape that gradually changed as the full line-up of the collection made its way down a rust-coloured Damier runway. Snow eventually covered the rocky formations and sparse vegetation, culminating in a finale that saw faux snow raining down the show space as powwow group Native Voices of Resistance—comprising singers from Native American nations across North America—captivated with a stirring performance. The show’s soundtrack too featured three more original songs all composed by Williams himself.
In some ways, Williams is continuing the trajectory that his predecessor, the late Virgil Abloh, set Louis Vuitton on—a maison that’s beyond the old-fashioned notions of what a luxury fashion house is. The Louis Vuitton menswear universe especially, is a cultural brand that’s ever-growing and expanding; it’s quintessentially Parisian in essence but draws influences from its global community. It echoes the core of Williams’ LVERS vision where the Maison’s core values of discernment, savoir-faire and travel are seen as a collective eternal source of vitality.
The Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection is a more tightly edited interpretation of the LVERS vision yet. The design aesthetic is clear. Drawing from a foundation of American Western workwear classics with heavy doses of denim, embroidered cowboy shirts, fringed leather jackets and more, the ready-to-wear pieces are reimagined with Louis Vuitton motifs and craftsmanship. Yes, there’s a string of looks drenched in the Maison’s Damier or LV Monogram motifs, but all artistically and creatively tweaked to reflect the collection’s theme. The closing look made sure to get the point across with a suit crafted from leather that was then painstakingly studded to decorate the entirety of the two-piece in the Damier motif.
The details put into each look further elevate the collection from straying into costume territory. Embroidery is a consistent application throughout on denim jackets, Western-style shirting as well as tailoring, while turquoise beading and embellishments are clever extensions of Williams’ penchant for pearls. Leather belts and cowboy hats are trimmed with metal buckles featuring kitschy versions of Louis Vuitton signifiers but grounded with a timeless visual approach to them.
What needs to be appreciated up close are the collection’s bags. While they are dressed in the Maison’s classic fabrications, the Autumn/Winter 2024 iterations are purposely treated to appear sun-eroded and worn out as though they’ve been through several desert heatwaves and sandstorms. They are still as recognisable as any other Louis Vuitton creation, save for the fact that they have much more character to them yet still leaving room for further actual wear and tear.
Williams covered all bases in ensuring that the workwear aspect of the collection is taken seriously. A collaboration with Timberland seems almost unavoidable. The footwear of the collection already took notes from work boots of the American West but the collaboration doubles down on the authenticity through the trusted know-how of the American brand. They’re peppered with Louis Vuitton details on leather accents as well as on the back of each tongue. But as with all things luxury go, especially in the cleverly marketed realm of Louis Vuitton, a number of special editions made their appearance on the runway encased in plexiglass shoe trunks.
The more important collaborations however, are the creative exchanges with artists from the Dakota and Lakota nations. Led by creative director Dee Jay Two Bears of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, the Dakota Flower motif appears on a number of bags and accessories, parfleche-inspired graphics are hand-painted on Keepalls, and charms are plumed with horse hair. Not only do these collaborations echo Williams’ LVERS vision, they also pay due reverence and respect to the cultural nuances of the American West that are often left out of whitewashed conversations and depictions.
The pomp and circumstance of the show are what you’d expect from Louis Vuitton. But look beyond all that and you’d discover a collection that truly celebrates and showcases what its design ethos is all about: highlighting a global community.
