Pharrell Is GQ’s Designer of the Year: Here’s What He Had To Say About Joy, Drake and Taylor Swift

Pharrell Williams is 20 months into his tenure as Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director. Not only has he had to take time from his music and other projects to do so, he’s had to step into the very large shoes of Virgil Abloh, the previous director and Off White founder who died in 2021.

But Williams, 51, seems unbothered, as he often does in the public eye. He’s successfully released his biopic Piece by Piece, an animated film starring Legos representing the important people in his life. But his stint at LV has been deemed successful by none other than men’s fashion Bible, GQ, who named him Designer of the Year.

When asked about his appointment at Louis Vuitton, one of the most prestigious brands in the world, Williams told GQ that it’s all about producing joy. He says that after selling millions of records as a producer and artist and being part of the pantheon of pop culture for decades, he now knows his assignment.

“Whereas what I’ve learned now is that when you err on the side of humility, empathy, gratitude, chivalry, you still—your talent is your talent,” he said in a recent interview for a GQ cover shoot. “Your gift is your gift. So when you fuse all those things in it, that produces joy. My appointment here, it’s so much bigger than apparel, footwear, bags, accessories, trunks…campaigns, shows, windows.”

He added, “The appointment is not just here [at LV], it’s an appointment to my life. In every situation that I encounter, my job is to produce joy.”

He’s produced results for LV, that’s for sure. His first show for LV, the 2024 menswear collection, garnered a billion digital views. The YouTube video of the show has 17 million views and Williams’ involvement is credited with helping the iconic brand top 10M subscribers on TikTok.

Pharrell once drew controversy for saying that he was part of the “new Blacks,” but his collection for Vuitton was inspired by the past.

He says his father is a boomer who experienced virulent racism but still loves Westerns. Williams also referenced Karl Lagerfeld’s 2013 Chanel show in Dallas as part of the reason he focused on the Western theme.

“[My dad] loves Westerns, and I’m like, “Dad, you do know that’s not how it was? They’re missing Black, Asian, and other folks that were doing a lot of the work, and the way that they’re treating the natives is terrible. How do you like this?” He likes a lot of the actors who, in real life, how they regarded Black people was terrible. And he knows that. But he still just likes the art form….so the collection was a homage to two people that I looked up to.”

Pharrell was drawn into more controversy when his comments about the election were misconstrued as a rebuke to Taylor Swift. In September, he told The Hollywood Reporter that he didn’t think celebrities should do political endorsements. He basically said he believes some folks aren’t doing much more than virtue signaling.

He clarified his comments in the GQ article saying that while he’s not apolitical, he doesn’t feel he has to reveal his political leanings, affiliations or endorsements publicly.

“My thing is like, I don’t have to share my discourse with you,” Williams said. “I stand for my ability to remain silent. I’m all about action. I’ve donated, I’ve volunteered, but I don’t need to show you and I don’t have to tell you. It’s anonymous because I don’t care what you think.”

In order to succeed at Louis Vuitton, Williams said it helped to shed some things from his past. He held an auction in 2022 that included some of his iconic jewelry pieces. Later, the world found out that Drake was the buyer of some of it, flaunting the jewelry on social media and then rapping about melting the pieces down. Pharrell says he was unfazed by the purchase and Drake’s comments.

“I guess some things are not for me to understand,” Williams said. “When you let things go, a huge part of it is actually letting go. Not just of the physical item, but letting go of your connection to what it’s supposed to mean, or the memory. You’re literally letting them go. That was the purpose. It’s like when people sell something and they go, “I just want to make sure you take care of it because this is my baby.” And I’m like, “No, no, no.” This is not my baby. That’s why I’m letting it go.”

You can read the entire GQ interview here.