Pharrell Williams brought to life the Lovers theme in his debut collection as Louis Vuitton menswear creative director. Now, the musician and record producer’s vision makes its way to the corner of Melrose Avenue and Robertson Boulevard in West Hollywood for a store set to open Jan. 4.
The roughly 4,000-square-foot space places Louis Vuitton near Maxfield, Acne and Chrome Hearts. The location, which was most recently home to a FWRD pop-up and before that John Varvatos, was first reported by local news site WeHo Times last month.
Louis Vuitton’s damier pattern used in Pharrell’s debut Spring/Summer 2024 collection also covers the store’s windows. The creative director revealed the collection during a runway show on the Pont Neuf bridge during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in June.
Black-and-white illustrations of that bridge on one side of the incoming store windows face out onto Robertson Boulevard.
The Louis Vuitton Lovers or LVERS branding, the latter of which sits atop one side of the store, appeared on various pieces of the Spring/Summer 2024 collection. It draws inspiration from the slogan “Virginia is for lovers,” which comes from Williams’ home state.
That the French luxury house would choose West Hollywood for the new store underscores its continued investment in the greater Southern California market.
The label’s Cruise 2023 show took place last year at San Diego’s Salk Institute. Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills was first in the state to open a dedicated Louis Vuitton men’s store. The brand’s largest single-story store in the Americas at the upscale South Coast Plaza in Costa Mesa was unveiled in 2018. There’s also been the pop-up initiatives, such as the 2017 Louis Vuitton x Supreme temporary shop in downtown L.A.’s Arts District.
“It’s the future. California is always the future,” Michael Burke, the former CEO of Louis Vuitton and now member of the LVMH executive committee, told WWD in 2018 while in town for the South Coast store’s opening.
The West Hollywood location comes despite macroeconomic challenges this year across fashion and retail. Even still, Louis Vuitton parent LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton has notched gains.
Group revenue in the first nine months of this year rose 14 percent on a year-over-year basis to 62.2 billion euros ($67.8 billion). The house applauded Williams’ initial collection in its most recent financial update, saying it generated “immense enthusiasm.”
LVMH’s Fashion and Leather Goods division was so far up 16 percent in the first nine months of this year to 27.8 billion euros ($30.3 billion).
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