Down To Earth: Louis Vuitton Men's Spring/Summer 2026
- Justinian Mason
- Jun 25
- 3 min read
It has been two years since Pharrell's dazzling debut as Creative Director for Louis Vuitton's Menswear. At the time he was met with a slew of doubt prior to the show. He coveted arguably the most perstiges job in fashion. To add insult to injury, he was the successor of the late Virgil Abloh, who's three years at LV set a standard in multi-diciplinary artistic output. Pharrell silenced the noise with his first show, displaying a fresh and vibrant collection that set him apart from Virgil. He brought Hip-Hop to the forefront, and continued the alluring imagery and energy of LV, ushering in a new and productive era for the fashion house. Today, as he returns with his third Spring/Summer collection for Paris Fashion Week, Pharrell seems to have taken a step towards neutrality.
While the collection itself is interesting enough, an overwhelming amount of the clothes are stale in color. Most of the colors are either earth tones or muted. That certainly isn't the worst thing in the world, as the silhouettes are clearly the main focus for this collection. However, it left me wanting more from the runway. Earth tones are a building block in most designs. A foundation is important, but you have to build beyond the foundation right? Purely from a design outlook, especially for LV, there's an expectation of exuberance. What looks like an intention to highlight form and flow, has devolved into a hollow performance. Off of color alone it feels like this collection takes itself too seriously, almost like it's too cool to express itself. Silhouttes make fashion if you ask me. They just didn't work here. Not to mention, the underlying theme feels a little too reflective of recent cultural trends.
Love the Black Dandy look as much as the next guy, but coming out with a collection that resembles it right after the 2025 MET Gala seems a little opportunistic? Some may view it as an ode to the classic Black style of the 1930s. Sadly, I'm not one of those people. Parts of the collection look like Black Dandyism resort wear. While that may sell, it still feels lazy. Pharrell and the LV team just attached themselves to a historically formal look and made it relaxed. Altering formal styles to a casual one is routine at this point. This collection wouldn't be as offensive if the execution wasn't lack luster. Perhaps the LV MET Gala outfits were foreshadowing. Louis Vuitton styled ten celebrities, including Pharrell for the MET, but each one fell short of the standard the house is known for. Almost as of they surrended design for quality. In turn making the finished product boring. Quality is a key element to creating anything, but so is imagination. I just don't see any of that in this collection. Aside from the Black Dandy pieces, far too many of these outfits resemble everyday outfits I've seen in New York. The quality is undoubtedly top-tier, but the design is strikingly common. Now all the elevated fashion guys who wear shades and leather jackets on St. Mark's Place can wear the exact same fit, now in Louis Vuitton.
The Men's Spring/Summer 2026 Collection for Louis Vuitton didn't impress me. The lack of oomph from the collection wasn't saved by the soundtrack, nor the semi-interesting shots from the runway. Further proving the point that so many elements need to align to for a runway to be perfect. I'm not going to engage in hyperbole and claim Pharrell is falling off, I just think he missed this time. Looking forward to what he cooks up next.
Favorite looks from the show:
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