Louis Vuitton Men’s SS26: A Dandy’s Journey from Paris to the Sun-Bleached Streets of India
Louis Vuitton Men’s SS26
By PAGE Editor - Org 06/25/2025
Under the golden glow of an imagined Indian sun, Pharrell Williams unveiled his latest vision for Louis Vuitton—a collection where dandyism meets the vibrant chaos of Mumbai, where heritage trunks are reimagined as sun-faded relics of a globetrotter’s journey, and where every piece tells a story of time, travel, and the art of dressing with effortless elegance.
The Board Game of Life
Louis Vuitton Men’s SS26
The show began as a metaphor—a life-sized Snakes and Ladders set, designed by Studio Mumbai, sprawled across the Centre Pompidou’s plaza. The ancient Indian game, once a mandala teaching destiny and chance, became the stage for models to navigate, climbing ladders (opportunity) and dodging snakes (fate). It was Pharrell’s ode to the unpredictable path of creativity, mirrored in clothes that blended tradition with audacious modernity.
A Dandy in the Sun
The collection whispered of a traveler who had wandered too long under the Indian sun—his silks faded, his cashmere softened by years of wear. Checks, once rigid and proper, now melted into relaxed tailoring, their edges blurred like a mirage. Stripes, borrowed from cricket jerseys and hand-painted market signs, slashed across blazers and workwear as if brushed on by a Mumbai artisan. Even denim, usually crisp and indigo, arrived in coffee-brown washes, as if steeped in chai and dust.
The Darjeeling Limited’s Return
A cinematic nostalgia swept through the show as the long-dormant LV x The Darjeeling Limited motif resurfaced—elephants, gazelles, and palm trees embroidered onto shirts, luggage, and even a cashmere coat. It was a wink to Wes Anderson’s 2007 film, where lost brothers lugged Vuitton trunks across India. Now, those trunks returned, their exotic menagerie reincarnated in delicate fil-coupé stitching and screen-printed onto Speedy bags, as if rediscovered in some forgotten colonial attic.
Mountaineers and Jeweled Nomads
Pharrell played with contrasts—hiking boots, scaled in crocodile, trudged alongside derbies so thin they seemed to dissolve on the foot. A "glamping" spirit elevated rugged shells into luxe blousons, their fleece collars sparkling with microbeads. Even the humblest beanies, ripped and sun-bleached, were reborn as artifacts of a well-lived life.
Bags That Tell Tales
The bags were passports to different eras—some stamped with the Darjeeling motif, others bearing hand-painted stripes like weather-worn trunks. A new Needle Bag emerged in butter-soft calfskin, while a Cruiser Duffle dipped in deep dye echoed the hues of Indian spices. And then, the pièce de résistance: a leather trunk crusted with pearls and gems, a treasure chest fit for a maharaja.
The Soundtrack of a Traveler’s Soul
As models navigated the Snakes and Ladders path, Pharrell’s soundtrack swelled—Voices of Fire’s gospel harmonies collided with A.R. Rahman’s Bollywood strings, while Clipse and Tyler, the Creator dropped verses like postcards from distant lands. It was a symphony of movement, a reminder that Louis Vuitton’s essence has always been the journey itself.
The Final Lesson: Wear It Like You’ve Lived It
This was not a collection about newness, but about patina—the beauty of a jacket softened by monsoons, a bag scarred by adventures, a sneaker molded to the foot of a wanderer. Pharrell’s India wasn’t a postcard; it was a lived-in, sun-soaked dream, where every piece whispered, "I’ve been somewhere extraordinary."
And with that, the dandy walked on, his silhouette fading into the heat haze—a modern nomad, forever in transit.
Click to see all the runway looks:
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