For Pre-Fall 24, his second runway as Creative Director of Louis Vuitton Menswear, Pharrell Williams wanted to continue the theme of his debut: blockbuster. Effectively taking over the entirety of Hong Kong with advertising, the pre-fall runway show took place along the 440-metre promenade known as the Avenue of Stars on Victoria Dockside on the city’s waterfront. There was a breeze in the air but it would take a lot more to stop this behemoth show. Over twenty minutes and over 60 looks, Williams took us on a trip from Hawaii to Hong Kong.

From the very first look, the nautical theme was on proud display — a dandyish double-breasted white suit with a beret and travel bag. Even when the collection transitioned into more traditional pieces, such as a suit jacket and shorts, or a black leather jacket and trousers, Williams made sure to include a little homage to the fishy theme, be it a classy interpretation of a classic rubber fisherman’s hat or simply just huge leather boots ready for wading through the shallows.

Some looks felt practically Tom of Finland, which is a brave and welcome avenue for Williams to take. Full denim sailor suits with flared bottoms and jaunty leather sailor’s hats, some of which displayed a brand new logo for the house, a calligraphic Louis Vuitton that looks sewn from fishing nets. Naturally, it would be hard to have a nautical theme without it all going a bit Querelle, and the collection is stronger for Williams following that lead.

Of course, with Hawaii being a major inspiration, we were going to get bright, floral patterns somewhere, and Williams did not disappoint. There are ten shirts in the collection inspired by the classic Hawaiian shirt. Interestingly, the show notes point out that the Hawaiian flower design was originally crafted using Japanese cloth, and its early success has been linked to the trade of a local Hawaiian-Chinese store owner. Williams went all out in some places, such as with a hot pink printed suit covered in wave and tree motifs, which also finds its way onto leather travel bags.

Special attention must, naturally, be paid to the shoes. The LV Dandy loafer embraced the nautical theme in two-tone leather and mono-colour suede editions. A surf-inspired LV Trainer was crafted in raffia and appeared alongside a Damier-stitch multicolour edition of the LV Maxi Trainer. The new LV Space Lander, a lightweight rubber sneaker with a Damier denim upper and elastic slip-on band, made a stunning debut.

New advancements in shoe-making technology were present in the LV COBRA, a new slip-on created with revolutionary 3D-printing technology. A breakthrough in material innovation of mixed-texture printing, it allows a seamless blend between textured and smooth materials within a single shoe. With no assembly, stitching, or glueing involved in its production process, the LV COBRA emerges as a truly zero-waste design.

As if simply designing and orchestrating this entire show wasn’t enough, Williams also debuted a new track. The models walked along the runway to Airplane Tickets, a new composition by Williams, Swae Lee, and Rauw Alejandro, which was performed live by fifty ukulele players.