Under a clear twilight sky at the Centre Pompidou, Pharrell Williams transformed the plaza into what I can only describe as a cosmic game board. It’s clay-hued squares and sinuous serpents evoking Moksha Patam, the ancient Indian precursor to Snakes and Ladders. Designed by Mumbai-based architect Bijoy Jain, the set was a metaphor for life’s caprices—ladders to ascension, snakes to humility—and a fitting stage for a collection that straddled colonial nostalgia and sun-bleached modernity.
Several Hollywood stars were notably seen at the show: Beyoncé and Jay-Z who were seated beside Spike Lee and a towering Victor Wembanyama. In addition, Nigerian star and Afrobeats artist, Adekunle Gold was also present at the event where the air thrummed with a gospel-hip-hop-sitar fusion, co-composed by A.R. Rahman and Voices of Fire. The message this year was made clear: this was not just a fashion show, but a yatra (journey).
The Sartorial Pilgrimage
Pharrell’s fifth act for Louis Vuitton Men’s broke down and refined the “multifaceted Indians” he encountered during a research trip to Delhi, Mumbai, and Jaipur into 76 looks of “lived-in elegance”. The opening act: a parade of turmeric-dyed suits with languid flares and boxy cricket jumpers, nodded to the Anglo-Indian dandy, their collars jeweled like Maharaja-era heirlooms. A seven-layered poplin coat, hand-embroidered with palm fronds, was an ode to monsoons, while The Darjeeling Limited’s animal prints (revived from Marc Jacobs’ 2006 luggage collaboration with Wes Anderson) romped across denim and damier canvas. The latter, Williams noted backstage, was a deliberate homage to LV’s travel DNA: “We make fashion, but we’re a house of movement”
The SS26 Collection’s Fabric and Tailoring
Texture was the collection’s silent narrator. Dusky oranges, indigo-violets, saffron, and coffee-brown hues mirrored India’s landscapes, with sun-bleached whites and metallic accents. Relaxed, louche silhouettes dominated, featuring double-breasted jackets, boxy shorts, and elongated bell-bottoms. Suits were cut from ultra-light wool, cashmere-silk blends, and vicuña, with a “lived-in” elegance. Metal-threaded trousers glinted like diamonds under the sun, while a pixelated mink hoodie—each 5mm pelt stitched by hand—echoed the pixelated chaos of Mumbai’s markets.
Pajama stripes were elevated to outerwear, while trekking backpacks and mountaineering boots were dandy-fied with opulent details. Even the “gorpcore” segment (purple-laced hiking boots, lime parkas with bejeweled hoods) felt luxurious, with their technical fabrics trimmed with zardozi embroidery.
The Accessories
The bags were the main character of the show. Speedy P9s came in pastel ostrich and crocodile, some embroidered with gold-threaded paisleys, others striped like The Darjeeling Limited’s fictional trunks. Sunglasses, edged with trunk-inspired metal corners, tinted the world in sun-bleached sepia. And then there were the frogs—tiny brass closures on belts, singing from Jain’s Mumbai garden into Pharrell’s whimsical runway. Let’s not forget the LV Tilted skate shoe (compared to Vans), LV Buttersoft sneakers, and jeweled hiking boots which combined functionality with luxury.
The Soundtrack and the Spectacle
As models crisscrossed the Snakes and Ladders board, the soundtrack—a tapestry of Tyler, the Creator’s rap, Punjabi folk, and choir harmonies—seemed to dissolve borders. The front row, a United Nations of cool (BTS’s J-Hope, Pusha T, Maharaja Padmanabh Singh), leaned into the rhythm. By the finale, even the Pompidou’s apartment-dwellers, peering from windows, were swaying.
Controversies and Commercial Context
While praised for its collaboration (with Studio Mumbai and Rahman), some critics noted reductive tropes like exotic animal embroidery. The collection’s wearability (which has been a focus on commercial pieces like leather jackets and monogrammed bags) may however, address LVMH’s recent sales dip.
Takeaway
In a season where gimmicks such as “flat is the new up” have been trending in the fashion industry, Pharrell took a daring take and delivered wearable poetry while at it. The collection’s uniqueness lay in its contradictions: colonial cricket sweaters paired with gemstones and trekking boots gilded for walking the Ritz. Let’s also not forget how the designer (Pharrel Williams) took his bow in Adidas Jellyfish sneakers (unreleased as at the time of publication), and handed Jay-Z a mini Speedy.
The LV show may have come to an end but it did leave questions in the minds of the viewers: Was this Louis Vuitton’s India, or India’s Louis Vuitton? Either way, the SS26 show went well.
