Hip-hop artist Pharrell Williams is the new creative director of Louis Vuitton's menswear line.
The French fashion giant announced it on Twitter.
Williams takes over from Virgil Abloh, who died in November 2021, and will present his first collection in June during Paris Fashion Week.
The announcement puts an end to months of speculation.
Williams is himself a streetwear entrepreneur and the choice confirms that Vuitton believes in the power of star power and the aesthetics of street fashion to support the growth of his menswear line after Abloh.
Abloh was the first African-American to lead a European fashion house.
Williams, 49, from Virginia Beach and also African-American, rose to fame in the late 1990s as part of the hip hop duo The Neptunes.
The new creative director already arrives at Louis Vuitton as a celebrity: he has two Oscar nominations, 13 Grammys and a large number of number one singles in the best-selling record charts.
"I am delighted to welcome him to his new home", said CEO Pietro Beccari: "His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly guide Louis Vuitton towards a very exciting new chapter".
Williams and Abloh were friends and admired each other: in 2017, in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that today anticipated the appointment, Abloh said that Williams was one of his five ideal table companions at a dinner.
When Virgil died, Pharrell said his heart was broken, he praised his friend on Twitter as "a kind and generous creative genius" and a few days later he sat in the front row at the show that Louis Vuitton had dedicated to the designer who disappeared in Miami with his latest creations.
Williams already has experience in fashion: he collaborated with the Japanese Nigo, who is now the creative director of Kenzo (another brand under the LVMH umbrella) for the streetwear label Billionaire Boys Club and for the shoe brand ice cream,