Pharrell unveils coffee brown denim as Paris fashion week begins

Paris Men’s Fashion Week kicks off Tuesday, headlined by major names like Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton, as American singer-turned-designer Pharrell Williams teases his latest creation — “coffee bean brown” denim.

Pharrell, known for his hit “Happy,” believes the new Louis Vuitton jeans he’ll debut at his Paris show are destined to become a staple in fashionable wardrobes.

Williams posted a rear-end photo of the roomy medium-brown jeans on Instagram, saying they are “woven — not dyed”, and are finished with an untreated leather belt loop echoing Vuitton’s monogram and the fashion house’s trunk-making roots.

He also shared images of a matching denim jacket, detailed with brass buttons, layered over a white shirt and a brown-and-beige striped T-shirt.

The singer and producer usually draws a galaxy of music, film, and sports stars to his Paris shows, and the locations are often as glamorous as his guest list.

This time, Williams is staging his show in front of the Pompidou Centre modern art museum, just before the landmark closes for major renovations.

U.S. basketball legend LeBron James and French San Antonio Spurs star Victor “Wemby” Wembanyama will likely be ambassadors for the brand, along with Olympic swimming sensation Leon Marchand.

The invitation sent to guests — a set of dice in a leather keyring case — hints that the designer may be taking something of a gamble.

Saint Laurent back

Saint Laurent also returns to the fashion week fold on Tuesday after a two-and-a-half-year absence from the Paris men’s shows.

Heads have been rolling across much of the luxury industry as bumper profits have plunged.

Saint Laurent’s parent group, Kering, is no exception, with a drop in sales last year wiping 28% off its share price since the start of the year.

However, shares shot back up 12% last week after former Renault boss Luca de Meo was named Kering’s new chief executive.

Fashion buyer Alice Feillard of Galeries Lafayette, Europe’s biggest department store chain, called the return of Saint Laurent creative director Anthony Vaccarello to men’s fashion week “rather a good thing,” adding that it would help reinforce the label’s men’s line.

Vaccarello teased his Summer 2026 collection with a picture of a bronzed young Adonis stretched out on a bed on a beach.

The packed six days of Paris shows are in stark contrast to London — which canceled its men’s shows completely — and the rather thinned-out lineup in Milan last week.

Anderson’s Dior debut

Instead, the French capital will see a “rather dense program with big headliners including Jonathan Anderson,” who will be making his highly anticipated debut at Dior, said Adrien Communier of French GQ magazine.

The Northern Irish designer is the first to oversee the men’s, women’s and haute couture lines at the fabled French house since its founder, Christian Dior.

In all, some 70 brands will unveil their latest looks across 40 runway shows and 30 presentations that end late Sunday with the French label Jacquemus.

Anderson, the son of former Irish rugby captain Willie Anderson, who had previously turned around the rather fusty Spanish house Loewe, was named as the head of Dior’s women’s collection earlier this month, replacing the Italian Maria Grazia Chiuri.

Belgian designer Julian Klausner, 33, who took over at Dries Van Noten in December, will also show his first men’s collection for the label on Wednesday.

Communier predicted that the trend for stripes — which was prominent in Milan — will continue.

He emphasised the need for genuine surprise with men’s fashion losing some spark.

FashionNetwork.com with ETX Daily