Pharrell Heads Louis Vuitton Men’s and LVMH Prize Reveals 2023 Semifinalists in This Week’s Top Fashion News

This week, fashion received the answer to one of its most talked-about questions, when Louis Vuitton announced that Pharrell Williams would fill Virgil Abloh‘s shoes as the new creative director of Louis Vuitton Men’s. The news, which came on Tuesday, set the internet ablaze with hot takes on what we might be able to expect from this new era at the French fashion house. (More on that, here.)

Elsewhere, the LVMH Prize announced this year’s semifinalists, with a total of 22 up-and-coming designers listed. New York Fashion Week‘s Fall/Winter 2023 shows came to a close, and showgoers jetted off to London for the next slate of presentations. Meanwhile, Supreme debuted its new storefront in Los Angeles’ West Hollywood neighborhood, and KidSuper released his official FW23 comedy show, titled “Funny Business.”

Below, Hypebeast has rounded up the top fashion stories of the week so you can stay up to date on trends in the industry.

Pharrell Williams Was Named the Next Louis Vuitton Men’s Creative Director

Sean Zanni/Patrick Mcmullan/Getty Images

On Tuesday, Louis Vuitton named Pharrell Williams its new Men’s creative director. The French fashion house took to Instagram to confirm previous reports, stating that Pharrell’s first collection for Louis Vuitton will be revealed next June during Men’s Fashion Week in Paris.

“Pharrell Williams is a visionary whose creative universes expand from music to art, and to fashion – establishing himself as a cultural global icon over the past twenty years,” the brand wrote on Instagram. “The way in which he breaks boundaries across the various worlds he explores, aligns with Louis Vuitton’s status as a Cultural Maison, reinforcing its values of innovation, pioneer spirit, and entrepreneurship.”

Pietro Beccari, Louis Vuitton’s Chairman and CEO, said, “I am glad to welcome Pharrell back home, after our collaborations in 2004 and 2008 for Louis Vuitton, as our new Men’s Artistic Director. His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter.”

The LVMH Prize Revealed Its 2023 Semifinalists

Lvmh

On Friday, the LVMH Prize revealed its 2023 semifinalists: 22 up-and-coming visionaries spanning womenswear, menswear and genderless design.

There were more than 2,400 candidates for the LVMH Prize this year, according to Arnault. The figure represents a sizable increase from last year’s 1,900, illustrating the increasing competition among emerging designers. The 2023 semifinalists come from countries across the globe, including Ukraine, Brazil, Estonia and Jamaica. Among them, three make menswear, eight do womenswear and 11 design either a blend of menswear and genderless or exclusively genderless clothing.

This year the LVMH Prize will be streamed online. The public will be able to vote alongside industry experts, including Law Roach and Gabriella Karefa-Johnson The designers’ work will be on display in a Paris showroom on March 2 and 3. Public voting will be open from March 1 to 5.

See the list of semifinalists here.

New York Fashion Week Came to a Close

Thom Browne

New York Fashion Week’s Fall/Winter 2023 shows officially ended this week, and globe-trotting showgoers have already landed in London for the English city’s turn. With shows and presentations from over 75 designers, spanning mainstays Willy Chavarria, Coach and Eckhaus Latta to newcomers Head of State and AKNVAS, the American leg of the fashion tour had much to showcase for the forthcoming season.

For Fall 2023, New York visionaries formed new boundaries for menswear. Skirts appeared on the runways of Who Decides War, Thom Browne and LUAR, among others, while visionaries Dion Lee and LaQuan Smith made a case for bold cuts on luxury clubwear. Shoulders shot to new heights in a bevy of looks from Chavarria, and Head of State’s Taofeek Abijako subverted traditional tailoring in men’s formalwear. Heron Preston, meanwhile, embraced high and low street styles in a manner that let his signature workwear prevail once again.

See all of Hypebeast’s coverage from the week here.

Supreme Debuted a New LA Store

Supreme

Supreme said goodbye to its Fairfax Avenue store location, where it served Los Angeles for 19 years, and waved hello to an all-new outpost in the city’s West Hollywood neighborhood.

The space — which was formerly the home of Tower Records’ West Coast flagship — is signature Supreme, with an all-white paint job and three classic box logos. Outerwear is displayed on the left side of the storefront, while T-shirts and headwear are posted up on the back wall. A black checkout counter supplies branded accessories, among art installations from creatives including Mark Gonzales, Nate Lowman, Josh Smith, Fuck This Life and Neckface.

Supreme West Hollywood is located at 8801 West Sunset Blvd., West Hollywood, CA, 90069.

KidSuper Dropped His FW23 Comedy Show “Funny Business”

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During Paris Fashion Week Men’s in February, KidSuper founder Colm Dillane presented his Fall/Winter collection 2023 inside his very own comedy special, “Funny Business,” at the Casino de Paris. Now, it’s finally available for the public to watch and enjoy.

Just under 40 minutes in length, the comedy show offers a funny take on what a fashion show can become. Hosted by Tyra Banks, the showcase features a high-octane slate of KidSuper’s comedian comrades, including Jeff Ross, Yvonne Orji, Stavros Halkias, FARY and Andrew Schultz.

“We’ll see how it goes,” Dillane said before the show. “It could fully bomb. But that’s also what’s cool about some of the fashion shows I do; they’re risky.”

Watch KidSuper’s FW23 comedy show “Funny Business” above.

Gucci Revealed Its SS23 “Twinsburg” Campaign

Joanna Piotrowska

Gucci revealed its SS23 “Twinsburg” campaign, spotlighting pieces from its double-take-worthy runway in September.

With Art Direction from Christopher Simmonds and photography courtesy of Joanna Piotrowska, the Italian fashion house takes over a massive villa with an army of twins — just like its show. In the sartorial imagery, loafers are made new with heart-shaped toes, tailored suits are copped and double-breasted, and Gizmo from Gremlins is centered on a collegiate-style sweater.

Along with the campaign, Gucci debuted the e-com editorial spotlighting the collection. In it, we see the collection worn in real life on real people.

See Gucci’s full SS23 campaign here, and shop the collection online and in Gucci’s boutiques worldwide now, with more items expected to arrive imminently.

NIGO Set Sail in KENZO’s SS23 Campaign

Kenzo

For Spring/Summer 2023, KENZO places an emphasis on “worldliness, inclusivity and individuality.” To do so, creative director NIGO sets the latest collection on a nautical journey around the globe in its campaign.

The campaign stars skateboarder and musician Lil Dre, vocalist Nina Utashiro, and models Moses Battiest, Ama Elsesser, Sunmoon Jung, Lily McMenamy, Omar Sesay, Lulu Tenney and Bomi Youn. Across the images, sailor motifs blend with streetwear styles, while collegiate notes pair with traditional Parisian flairs.

Take a look at KENZO’s Spring/Summer 2023 campaign here, and find more online.