US rapper Tyler, the Creator's Louis Vuitton capsule collection is almost here
With a charming hand-drawn version of Louis Vuitton’s iconic monogram, US rapper Tyler, the Creator is making his mark on the legacy French luxury brand.
His new capsule collection, featuring his “Craggy Monogram”, is already shaking up men’s fashion, even though it was only announced late last month.
The Grammy winner was tapped by his longtime friend and collaborator, Pharrell Williams, to design Louis Vuitton’s latest men’s capsule collection for Spring-Summer 2024 - and he delivered a whimsical blend of classic LV designs with his own trademark pastels and preppy touches.
It’s not a huge surprise that Pharrell, who was named creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear in February 2023, would ask Tyler (whose real name is Tyler Okonma) to collaborate on a collection.
The two have released music together several times - most recently with 2023’s “Cash in Cash Out”. Tyler’s been outspoken about how influential Pharrell has been on his own career in fashion and music - “he continues to open doors and throws me the keys,” Tyler wrote when announcing his collection.
Tyler’s also no newcomer to the fashion world. The California rapper has collaborated with Converse for years on a colourful sneaker line. His streetwear line Golf Wang and more refined counterpart Golf Le Fleur have also been successful.
He also collaborated with Louis Vuitton in the past, most notably in the late Virgil Abloh's Men’s Fall-Winter 2022 show, for which he composed the music and even rode a bicycle down the runway at the end of the show.
Tyler's capsule collection for Louis Vuitton includes pastel checkerboard-print golf bags, windbreakers, cereal bowls and even a €15,000 chessboard, which he says is one of his favourite things he’s ever made.
The entire collection hits stores on 21 March, for the chess/golf players in your life who have everything.
A whirlwind year for Pharrell the creative director
The high-profile collaboration is the latest in a breakneck first year for Pharrell as LV's creative director, his biggest role in fashion to date.
Tyler’s collection is the fourth under Pharrell’s creative direction in just one year - it follows two runway shows in Paris (including last month’s instantly-viral Wild West-themed Fall-Winter 2024 show) and a pre-Fall show in Hong Kong.
He’s also used his star power to corral major names in the global entertainment business around the brand - from his debut campaign featuring Rihanna to his latest campaign featuring NBA superstar LeBron James.
Since Pharrell took the reins, Louis Vuitton has expanded its list of house ambassadors to include sports stars like NBA rookie Victor Wembanyama and tennis number one Carlos Alcaraz.
He’s also tapped K-pop superstars like BTS’ J-Hope, GoT7’s BamBam and Stray Kids’ Felix.
Last summer, he told the New York Times in an interview that he wanted to expand Louis Vuitton's reach beyond the usual musicians and actors to include major figures of Black culture like academics, authors, astrophysicists and even a Black bass fishing champion.