2002
From left: Chad Hugo, Shay Haley and Pharrell Williams of N.E.R.D. at the Park West on June 2, 2002 in Chicago.
Pharrell Williams’ Style Evolution: From 2002 to Now
Written by djfrosty on May 2, 2025
Pharrell Williams has always had impeccable style. From his early days as a producer and performer with the Neptunes and N.E.R.D working on songs for Wreckx-n-Effects, the Clipse, Jay-Z and Nelly, Skateboard P always put a premium on looking good while sounding excellent.
When the world first met Williams — who is a co-chair for the 2025 Met Gala — he was rocking distressed, baggy jeans, track jackets and trucker hats before launching his own bespoke fashion label, Billionaire Boys Club in 2003, followed by spin-offs Ice Cream, Bee Line and Billionaire Girls Club. All along, the multi-hyphenate has relished being a bridge between what the kids are wearing in skate parks and clubs and what’s pushing the envelope on the runways in Milan.
As his client list expanded to include production, songwriting and collaborations with Ed Sheeran, Migos, Beck, SZA, J Balvin and Rauw Alejandro, Williams also branched out on the fashion side, co-designing a line of glasses and jewelry for Louis Vuitton in 2008, followed in 2013 with a sunglass line for Moncler.
Constantly juggling his own music, a heavy production schedule and voicing himself in the 2024 LEGO autobiographical film Piece by Piece, Williams also teamed with G-Star Raw in 2014 on the “RAW For the Oceans” denim collection made from recycled ocean plastic. He followed with a 2014 collab with Uniqlo called “i am OTHER,” then paired with Adidas on a 2016 “Human Race” edition of shoes, and in 2017 designed an $1,100 sneaker for Chanel/Adidas.
His crowning fashion achievement, though, was in February 2023, when Louis Vuitton announced that Williams had been appointed to serve as their men’s creative director, with his first collection for the famed fashion house hitting runways during Paris Men’s Fashion Week in June 2023.
Check out Billboard‘s chronicle of Williams’ fashion evolution.
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Image Credit: Paul Natkin/Getty Images -
2002
Image Credit: J. Vespa/WireImage Pharrell Williams during Motorola 4th Annual Holiday Party at The Lot on Dec. 5, 2002 in Los Angeles.
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2004
Image Credit: Theo Wargo/WireImage Pharrell Williams during Pharrell Williams and Nigo Debut “Billionaire Boys Club” Apparel Line and “Ice Cream” Footwear at Drive-In Studios on August 25, 2004 in New York City.
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2004
Image Credit: Evan Agostini/Getty Images Pharrell Williams attends a preview gala dinner for the Metropolitan Museum’s “Wild: Fashion Untamed” exhibition on Dec. 6, 2004 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
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2005
Image Credit: Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage Pharrell Williams arrives at the 2005 Vibe Awards at Sony Studios on Nov. 12, 2002 in Culver City, California.
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2005
Image Credit: Ethan Miller/Getty Images Pharrell Williams arrives at the 2005 Billboard Music Awards held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Dec. 6, 2005 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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2006
Image Credit: Jon Furniss/WireImage Pharrell Williams attends The Audi Polo Challenge Cup on July 5, 2006 at Cowdray Park in Midhurst, Great Britain.
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2006
Image Credit: Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Pharrell Williams arrives at the 13th annual MTV Europe Music Awards 2006 at the Bella Center on Nov. 2, 2006 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
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2007
Image Credit: Jean-Paul Aussenard/WireImage Pharell Williams arrives at the Louis Vuitton Gala celebrating the Murakami exhibition held at the Geffen Contemporary at Moca on Oct. 28th, 2007 in Los Angeles.
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2008
Image Credit: Brad Barket/Getty Images Pharrell WIlliams attends BET’s ‘Rip the Runway’ at The Manhattan Center on Feb. 21, 2008 in New York City.
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2009
Image Credit: Jon Furniss/WireImage Pharrell Williams attends the annual summer party at The Serpentine Gallery on July 9, 2009 in London, England.
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2010
Image Credit: Dominique Charriau/WireImage Pharrell Williams attends the NRJ Music Awards 2010 at Palais des Festivals on Jan. 23, 2010 in Cannes, France.
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2011
Image Credit: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images Pharrell Williams visits the Dior pop-up shop featuring Anselm Reyle for Dior at Miami Design District on Nov. 29, 2011 in Miami City.
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2012
Image Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images Pharrell Williams attends the OHWOW & HTC celebration of the release of “Terrywood” with Terry Richardson at The Standard Hotel & Spa on Dec. 7, 2012 in Miami Beach, Florida.
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2013
Image Credit: Mark Davis/Getty Images Pharrell Williams arrives at the premiere of Universal Pictures’ “Despicable Me 2” at Gibson Amphitheatre on June 22, 2013 in Universal City.
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2014
Image Credit: Lester Cohen/WireImage Pharrell attends the 56th Grammy Awards at Staples Center on Jan. 26, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
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2015
Image Credit: Jason Merritt/Getty Images Helen Lasichanh and Pharrell Williams attend The 57th Annual Grammy Awards at the Staples Center on Feb. 8, 2015 in Los Angeles.
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2016