Jay-Z recently made an appearance at a Louis Vuitton fashion show in Paris. The Brooklyn emcee attended in support of his longtime friend Pharrell Williams who showcased his first curated men’s collection as the creative director of Louis Vuitton.
The show featured a number of important hip-hop figures. Williams was photographed backstage alongside Tyler, The Creator of Odd Future and Takashi Murakami, the Japanese graphic designer responsible for Kanye West’s Graduation artwork.
Furthermore, both Pusha T and his brother No Malice of Virginia Beach duo the Clipse modelled for Williams as he held his debut showcase. The Neptunes producer is the first African-American to hold the position of creative director at Louis Vuitton since the death of Virgil Abloh in 2021.
Surprisingly, hip-hop fashion extraordinaire Kanye West did not attend the show. However, other figures such as Beyoncé, A$Ap Ferg and Rihanna did. The event was held in front of the Louis Vuitton headquarters near Pont Neuf. The stage spanned the bridge and created quite the spectacle.
The event saw a star-studded guestlist that included the likes of Zendaya, Kim Kardashian, Jayden and Willow Smith, LeBron James, Lewis Hamilton, Russell Westbrook and Rihanna. However, one of the most memorable parts of the evening was when Jay-Z and Pharrell hit the stage to perform a medley of their greatest tracks.
As well as their 2003 collaboration ‘Frontin,’ Jay-Z performed several tracks, including, ‘N*ggas In Paris,’ ‘On To The Next One’ and his iconic Pharrell-produced song ‘Give It To Me.’ In a video recorded before the show, Pharrell can be seen thanking the company’s executives for entrusting him with the role and promoting him to his dream job; Men’s Head Designer at the luxury brand.
Louis Vuitton’s Mens Spring-Summer 2024 Collection was met with high praise, and so far, Pharrell has provided set the company on an upward trajectory. Since 2022, fashion houses have stayed clear of Kanye West, and, for now, it seems that Williams is the African-American face of fashion in Europe. You can watch Jay’s performance below.