Pharrell Williams’ Louis Vuitton menswear debut was the event of the season, and if the chatter and press leading up to the show on Tuesday didn’t prove that, the guest list for the presentation certainly did. Fashion A-listers gathered on the Pont Neuf bridge in Paris to take in Williams’ collection. Beyoncé took a break from her “Renaissance” tour to sit front row alongside Jay-Z and recently-appointed Louis Vuitton ambassador Zendaya. Rihanna, who fronted Williams’ first campaign for the brand arrived fashionably late to the event, sneaking in with her boyfriend A$AP Rocky. The group was then rounded out by Kim Kardashian, who attended the show in a look that perfectly merged her style with Williams’ new Louis Vuitton.
The reality star arrived in a sports bra and leggings covered in a camouflage-like pixelated pattern. It was a fairly simple outfit, similar to what we’ve seen her in before, made more interesting by the furry fanny pack that hung around her waist and the fur coat that fell off her shoulders. Rendered in the same pattern as her set, the bag added some texture and volume to her otherwise streamlined look. The accessory was an interesting one, not because fanny packs aren’t popular these days. They are, it’s just that in recent years many have been wearing them as crossbody bags. Kardashian’s choice to embrace the bag’s true form, then, may mark the end of that trend cycle.
And while the set was classic Kardashian, the pattern was all Williams, a design he has dubbed “damoflage” for “digital camouflage.” It’s a play on Louis Vuitton’s signature Damier checkerboard pattern, but with an updated, technological twist, and it was prevalent throughout the designer’s debut collection for the brand. Williams revealed to the New York Times that every season will present this pattern in a new colorway, with the spring/summer 2024 show embracing classic camouflage greens and browns. When Williams took his bow at the end of the presentation, he too wore the pattern in the form of a double-breasted suit.
Kardashian’s appearance at the Vuitton show isn’t surprising. The Skims CEO has been a mainstay in the fashion world for years now. The last time she attended a Louis Vuitton show, however, was all the way back in 2018 for Virgil Abloh’s spring/summer 2019 show for the brand. Kardashian likely wanted to be part of the big cultural moment that was Williams’ debut for Vuitton, as well as show support to the designer. And like any of the A-list guests, her presence and influence will likely help promote Williams’ new designs, and who knows, maybe her choice of the fanny pack will bring about a revolution for the previously outdated accessory.