Louis Vuitton‘s men’s autumn/winter collection opened Paris Fashion Week (16-21 January). Pharrell Williams, the line’s creative director, was inspired by the Wild West for his second fashion show, complete with cowboy and workwear references. But it was LV’s new direction in bags that impressed insiders: from the iconic Speedy in “butter-soft leather” to the new collaboration with Timberland.
Louis Vuitton’s Man for Winter 24/25
The collection, presented at the Vuitton Foundation in Paris (16 January), starts with the cowboy aesthetic, and contaminates LV’s aesthetic codes. On the catwalk is a reinterpretation of workwear, embellished with fringes and pearl decorations. The focus remains on cowboy style. Three-piece suit, trousers, jacket and long-sleeved shirt, hat, leather tie and pointed boots. Which Pharrell makes contemporary with the addition of urban elements, floral embroidery prints and gold jewellery.
A long strand is dedicated to accessories, showing how LV is working on consolidating certain products. Such as? The trunks (a symbol of the brand’s origins), carried down the catwalk on a cart, or the bags, especially the Speedy. And there was no shortage of collaborations, such as the one with Timberland unveiled via Instagram. The result? The US company’s iconic boot revisited and included in the new collection. On the tongue, both the sports brand’s logo and that of the French brand.
The new direction of accessories
For his first fashion show as creative director (S/S 2024), Pharrell focused all his efforts on the relaunch of the Speedy, transforming it into a large bag with a unisex design. The new bag, called 50 Soft, is for the first time made of soft leather, accompanied by a communication built around the accessory. Although the bag has always been for men and made of canvas, over time it has become more popular in women’s wardrobes. The version on the market today is made of soft grained calfskin and lined in fine lambskin, with the emblematic screen-printed monogram of the maison.
The reasons for success
When asked about the success of the Speedy, Pharrell Williams explained to GQ that the bag was popular with men following a redesign: “The primary colours are the starting point. Then we see that the bag has creases and is sagging, and we immediately realise that this is no ordinary Speedy. It is not canvas but buttery soft leather”. That the focus on accessories is central is also evident from the recent launch of the new leather “Sandwich” bag. Clearly inspired by LV’s orange bag and paper lunch bag, the new bag has a central fold-over opening, and a blue grained leather zip in the centre. Details, irony and marketing.
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