Inside Pharrell’s big Louis Vuitton menswear show in Hong Kong, according to CEO Pietro Beccari: Asia’s world city is ‘having a sparkle’ – and the world’s biggest luxury brand is at home here

Nov 20 , 2023

Louis Vuitton’s men’s creative director Pharrell Williams and CEO Pietro Beccari in Paris. Photo: Handout

Style got an exclusive spoiler on the fashion maison’s first men’s pre-fall show – taking place at the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui on November 30, with Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour as the backdrop

The former Dior and Fendi head has shaken up Louis Vuitton fast since joining in February 2023 – most notably with the US$1 million Pharrell Williams’ Millionaire Speedy bag, owned by NBA’s LeBron James

The Louis Vuitton show taking place in Hong Kong on November 30 is more than just any other runway. The event, which will be held on the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui against the backdrop of the city’s skyline and Victoria Harbour, is a first for many reasons. It is the brand’s first-ever men’s pre-fall show and men’s destination show. It is also the first pre-fall collection designed by recently appointed men’s creative director Pharrell Williams, and Louis Vuitton’s first-ever show in Hong Kong.

What makes the show really special, however, is its significance to Hong Kong. Thanks to the large numbers of travellers visiting from mainland China and other parts of Asia, embarking on shopping sprees to take advantage of the retail scene and lower luxury goods prices, the city has historically been one of the most important luxury markets. Hong Kong is a free port and levies no customs tariff on imported goods either.

The Louis Vuitton men’s 2024 prefall show will be held on the Avenue of Stars in Hong Kong. Photo: Handout

In recent years, however, Hong Kong has lost some lustre due to the double whammy of anti-government protests that began in 2019 and ended the following year, and protracted border closures that kept visitors away during the coronavirus pandemic. Since then, a number of luxury labels have closed their stores permanently or reduced their retail footprint in the city to focus on mainland China and Southeast Asia.

Pharrell and I wanted to do something in Asia, and Hong Kong is in our heart and is having a sparkle

But Pietro Beccari, who was appointed CEO of Louis Vuitton in January after successful stints at Fendi and Dior, has always believed in the importance of Hong Kong as a regional hub, as he explains in an interview with Style.

“Hong Kong is having a second youth,” says Beccari. “I believe very much in the renaissance of the city. As you know, when I was at Dior, even during the pandemic I invested a lot to improve the store network – the Canton Road Dior store bears witness to that. Pharrell and I wanted to do something in Asia, and Hong Kong is in our heart and is having a sparkle, so that combination of things led us to have a show in Hong Kong.”

Beccari adds that since borders reopened a year ago, business has been flowing back to the city. As a result, for all luxury brands – not just Louis Vuitton – Hong Kong is once again one of the top five best-performing markets in the world. Beccari, whose first job in the luxury industry was in the marketing department of Louis Vuitton, and Williams, who joined the house in his new role earlier this year, are very fond of Hong Kong and aware of what the show means to the city and its residents.

“It’s a celebration of a place we both love. I think Hong Kong, for everybody, is one of the most brilliant, prolific, successful cities in Asia. I personally think that Hong Kong will keep this place in the imagination of people even though not everyone agrees,” Beccari says. “This show has nothing to do with politics and has no political meaning, but is about celebrating a city that has been and will always be in the heart of the people as one of the most beautiful and most important in Asia.”

Tourists, most of them from China, queue up outside the Louis Vuitton store on Canton Road in October. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

When news about the show broke in October, even Louis Vuitton’s competitors couldn’t help but praise the brand, which speaks volumes in such a cutthroat industry. After years of negative headlines surrounding Hong Kong’s waning appeal as a tourist attraction and luxury hub, the event couldn’t have come at a better time. It will no doubt attract a large number of high-profile guests and provide a boost to the city’s hospitality industry.

Beccari says that Louis Vuitton has been greeted with open arms by government entities such as the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department and the Hong Kong Tourism Board. “We all participated in this and got major support from them, because nobody has ever done a show in such a location. We were welcomed to the point of being able to choose a location that nobody had ever used,” says Beccari. He adds that the beautiful set will be a homage to the city and great advertising for the image of Hong Kong.