Paris Fashion Week kicked off on Tuesday with hip-hop mogul Pharrell Williams putting on his latest branding event for Louis Vuitton at the UNESCO headquarters. It has been a year since Williams took over as creative director of the world's most profitable luxury label in a sign of the growing crossover between fashion, music and celebrity. His lavish debut saw him take over the historic Pont Neuf bridge, and his follow-up in January was an ode to Americana that looked like a carefully staged tie-in with Beyonce's new cowboy-themed album.
For his latest, the "Happy" singer is taking over the home of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, a symbol of international diplomacy in Paris. Under the theme of "The World is Yours", a teaser on Instagram featured children as diplomats being encouraged to work for a more unified world -- with Vuitton-branded briefcases, naturally. The label's parent company, LVMH, announced a strengthening of its partnership with UNESCO on environmental projects in April.
That cannot come too soon for campaigners. Louis Vuitton, the world's most profitable fashion brand, scored just 29 out of 100 in the most recent Fashion Transparency Index by Fashion Revolution, which monitors areas such as environmental impact and labour rights. It scored just one out of 100 for "supply chain traceability", referring to its openness about how and where its products are made.
Burc Akyol This week is devoted to menswear in Paris, followed.