WWD wrote at length about the research Pharrell and team did for this show to “soak up the spirit of Indian sartorialism,” pinning it to India being one of the new markets for customers now that China is spending less. He sourced materials from India’s artisans, and:
“You won’t see any tunics or anything like that. What we were inspired by from India were the colors,” Williams said backstage before the show. “You’ll see turmeric in the line. You’ll see cinnamon. You’ll see ‘coffee indigo’ denim.”
There is also some interesting discussion about gratitude vs. appropriation, and a mention of The Darjeeling Limited. I definitely believe he at least meant his inspiration to be a form of flattery. The color palette IS nice. Yeah, there is some stuff that doesn’t work — most of the socks look goofy — but by and large, the clothes are crisp in a way that regular Louis Vuitton could learn from; it doesn’t feel as gimmicky as Pharrell’s early collections. It’s more grounded. That’s something.
