Louis Vuitton Men's Fall 2025 Review
And does the Millionaire Speedy really cost a million dollars? yeesh.
Brief intermission from my Superfine series to talk about Pharrell. He’ll come back up again because how could he not in a series about Black Dandies. But today I want to offer my review of LV Men’s Fall 2025.
This collection was the artistic manifestation of a friendship for life—a tribute to Pharrell’s relationship with Nigo. The show reflected their shared history, blending pieces reminiscent of their early streetwear work with elements that mirrored their current individual aesthetics: workwear akin to Nigo’s recent designs and suiting that felt like Pharrell’s personal wardrobe. The emphasis was on the work. On how their past and present creative identities merge, both together and apart.
That emphasis felt like a departure from Pharrell’s usual approach at Louis Vuitton. Since his debut, his collections have followed a clear formula: pick a theme, build a runway full of looks around it, and execute it with hyper-literal styling. Last year’s Fall 2024 Western show was a prime example. I remember watching it and thinking, Oh my god, I’m a fashion savant because I get everything he’s trying to say! But really, it wasn’t that deep. Pharrell often leans into obvious aesthetic cues, and that’s fine. He was brought to Vuitton not as a conceptual designer but as someone with sartorial instinct and cultural impact. The issue is that if every collection follows the same formula, just with a different theme, it starts to feel repetitive. Sure, for the mega 1% customer, there’s plenty to shop. They’ll have plenty of pieces to build out their dream closets, different islands of the same planet Pharrell. But eventually, if the structure never evolves, what is there really to say?
That’s why I was a little apprehensive going into this show. But I was wrong. This collection was so much more interesting because it wasn’t about Pharrell’s personal experiences or a theme. It was about the work itself. It explored how design languages from different eras and individuals can merge into a cohesive collection. And that shift in perspective made all the difference.
Of course, some pieces still felt formulaic. Looks 16 and 23 were essentially the same outfit—one a more tailored, suited version, the other a streetwear take. There was an abundance of pink, likely a nod to their beloved Japan and its cherry blossoms. The tailoring was sharp, with too many beautifully cut suits to count. If you told me the jackets in looks 39, 40, and 50 were Carhartt collabs, I wouldn’t bat an eye. Look 34? Basically straight out of A Bathing Ape.
The graffiti’d pieces leaned into streetwear, but if I’m being honest, I still prefer the Stephen Sprouse version from 2001. That iteration felt frenetic and rebellious in a way that this just… doesn’t.
That said, one thing that might make me eat my words about Pharrell’s lack of innovation is the slow emergence of his house codes. It’s always interesting to watch a designer carve out their identity within a house. But the way Pharrell has consistently played with camouflage across collections? That feels intentional. It’s subtle, but it’s there. And at the very least, it’s something to hold onto as his tenure at Louis Vuitton unfolds.
Did you watch the show? What do you think? My favorite looks from the show and the show notes / press release are linked here. Happy fashioning!
~ Becca