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Pharrell Williams continues to be a champion for benevolence. UNESCO has appointed him a Goodwill Ambassador for Arts Education and Entrepreneurship.
As reported by The Associated Press, the multi-hyphenate has received yet another honor for his great work for the creative community. On Tuesday (Dec. 17), the Virginia Beach, Va., native was appointed as UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Arts Education and Entrepreneurship at the Organization’s Headquarters in Paris. The ceremony was followed by a screening of his LEGO biopic Piece by Piece. After the film, the In My Mind performer spoke to 800 secondary pupils who are studying music, art and fashion.
Pharrell Williams expressed his enthusiasm for the honor in a formal statement. “Words cannot describe how I feel about being chosen by UNESCO as a Goodwill Ambassador. Thank you to Director-General Audrey Azoulay for this opportunity” he said. “I’m honored to continue our work in evening the odds for children and adults through education with YELLOW and Black Ambition.”
UNESCO Director Audrey Azoulay detailed why the nomination made sense for the organization. “A complete artist, Pharrell Williams is also a humanist who works to put culture at the service of peace and bringing people together. He believes in the power of creativity and education to build a better future,” her statement read, according to a press release. “His commitments resonate with UNESCO’s mandate. I am delighted that he is joining UNESCO’s family of Goodwill Ambassadors today to support our action.”
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is an agency of the United Nations that promotes world peace via arts, education and the sciences.
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An iconic place of worship has reopened their doors. Pharrell Williams and Angélique Kidjo recently performed at the Notre-Dame Cathedral’s reopening.
As spotted on The Grio the popular Parisian attraction is now back open to the public. On April, 5 2019 a fire broke out on the roof of the Notre-Dame de Paris. Unfortunately, by the time the fire was extinguished the ceiling suffered severe structural damage. Since then locals and tourists alike have had to find another cathedral to attend mass. Thankfully, the church received over $800 million dollars in donations which went to the restoration efforts. Five years later it finally reopened on Dec. 7.
To celebrate the momentous occasion, Notre-Dame de Paris hosted a special ceremony with over 2,500 people in attendance. Not only was President-elect Donald Trump there but U.S. First Lady Jill Biden and Prince William of Britain several other world leaders. African opera singer Pretty Yende opened the affair with a roaring rendition of “Amazing Grace.” Angélique Kidjo also took to the stage with her song “Jerusalema.” Pharrell Williams was a surprise performer and took the stage with the 70 person Voices of Fire choir to bring his hit anthem “Happy” to life.
You can see Pharrell Williams perform at Notre-Dame below.
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There is no doubting Pharrell Williams had a historic fashion run in 2024. So it is only fitting that GQ Magazine has named him Designer of the Year.
This week, the gentleman’s magazine started to unveil their annual Men of the Year selections. In it, the editorial staff have crowned Skateboard P as the style industry’s number one creative. Shot by Eli Russell Linnetz, GQ captures the “Happy” performer in his top eclectic luxury form. As expected, Pharrell Williams effortlessly pairs items from different Louis Vuitton collections with various vintage pieces resulting in a photoshoot that produces all the feels, ranging from western to military to runaway ready.
Even more note worthy is his interview. Full of “Pharrellisms,” GQ’s Global Editorial Director Will Welch got him to discuss a bevy of topics related to his creative process. During the Q&A, Welch revealed that the Grammy Award winner was working on three different music projects simultaneously with a dedicated engineer to each.
“I had three different rooms for three different artists. That’s the way I like to cook,” Pharrell said. “I like to go from room to room, because one room reminds me that the other room isn’t as hot as I thought it was before I left. Having different rooms going makes you zoom out. Because you zoom in to make it, but then you zoom out to judge whether it’s fire.”
Later on he was asked about his Joopiter platform where he auctioned off many of his signature pieces. When asked if it struck him that Drake purchased his jewelry and then bragged about he simply responded “It didn’t.” When pressed further about Drizzy buying the pricy charms he made it clear he didn’t give it much thought. “I guess some things are not for me to understand. When you let things go, a huge part of it is actually letting go” he explained. “Not just of the physical item, but letting go of your connection to what it’s supposed to mean, or the memory. You’re literally letting them go. That was the purpose.”
You can see Pharrell Williams answer questions from his fans below.
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Pharrell Williams continues to create with purpose. His Humanrace brand has partnered with evian for a tennis collection.
Source: Hadda / Hadda
As reported by Blavity, the Virginia Beach native has yet another co-branded effort to add to this resume. This week, his Humanrace brand announced a limited-edition drop inspired by tennis with evian, the official water of the US Open. Their intention was to celebrate the sport while injecting the spirit of New York City, where the tournament has been hosted since 1987. Included in the drop is a quarter zip sweater, shorts, t-shirt, caps, and an expandable carry-all bag. All the pieces are made from 100% natural fibers and are manufactured in the United States.
Pharrell explained his vision for the initiative in a formal statement. “Every piece in this line reflects my belief that being well is a lifestyle,” he said. “Water’s the essence of life, right? We can’t live without it. So it’s only natural for Humanrace and evian to come together for this collaboration. It’s all about celebrating what keeps us connected, mindful, and moving.”
The water brand also detailed why this co-branded effort made was a no brainer. “The collaboration between evian, Pharrell and Humanrace encapsulates the spirit of our ‘Live Young’ ethos,” said Leeni Hämäläinen, marketing director for evian in North America. “Whether sporting the sleek tenniscore collection around town, celebrating with the local community at the US Open or sipping on our natural spring water from the French Alps, we want to inspire people to embrace joy and wellbeing – both physically and emotionally.”
The evian x Humanrace capsule collection will available starting Aug. 24 on Humanrace.com.
Source: Laura Jane Coulson / Laura Jane Coulson
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Source: LOUIS VUITTON / Louis Vuitton
Pharrell Williams is using his magic touch with smell goods. He is releasing his first ever fragrance with Luis Vuitton.
Source: LOUIS VUITTON / Louis Vuitton
As reported by Hypebeast, the Virginia Beach native is doubling down in his role at the apparel company. This week, he announced his first fragrance at La Maison. Titled LVRS, this expression is intended to embody the metaphorical yet nostalgic scent of the sun. In an interview with Vogue United Kingdom, Pharrell revealed that the idea spawned out of a conversation he had with perfumer Jacques Cavallier Belletrud at his debut show in June 2023. “I asked Jacques and Camille [his daughter], what does sunlight smell like? This fragrance is a poetic and metaphorical version of the answer to that question,” Pharrell said.
“When we discussed a few hours after the show how the perfume should be, we spoke very precisely about the use of the variety of light in nature coming from photosynthesis and this is where everything started,” Belletrud explained. Galbanum is the main ingredient used in LVRS and piqued Pharrell’s curiosity immediately as the gum resin has not been used in the smell goods business for many years.
“Smelling it, my first realization is that I can smell colors of this fragrance. It’s definitely on the blue side: blue and light blue and there’s a little bit of some purple in it,” the “Happy” performer said. “I don’t see red or burgundy or brown. It’s on the sweeter side. It smells like an elegant, elevated version of something that’s familiar to me.”
LVRS features top notes of bergamot and galbanum; middle notes of ginger and solar notes and base notes of sandalwood and cedarwood. Also available are some leather LV accessories in the camo print. LVRS launches June 19 and is priced at $320,00.
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Missy Elliott is returning to the big screen as part of an untitled musical project created by Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry.
According to reports, superstar Missy Elliott is making a return to the big screen with a role in a musical helmed by Pharrell Williams and Michel Gondry. The unnamed project will be directed by Gondry, best known for directing Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. The four-time Grammy Award winner shared the news with her millions of fans in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday (April 30). “Ayyyyye,” she wrote, accompanied by emojis of flames, a dancing woman and hands up giving a high-five.
The film’s coming-of-age plot takes place during the summer of 1977, with the setting being inspired by the Atlantis Apartments in the Virginia Beach, Virginia, neighborhood where Williams grew up. The star-studded cast also includes Academy Award winner Da’Vine Joy Randolph, Halle Bailey, Kelvin Harrison Jr., and Academy Award nominee Brian Tyree Henry. The script is being written by Martin Hynes (Toy Story 4) and Steven Levenson (FX’s Fosse/Verdon), as Pharrell Williams is producing with Mimi Valdés through i am OTHER, and Gil Netter is producing through Gil Netter Productions.
For Elliott, it’s her first time appearing on the big screen in a sizable role since appearing as the character Missy (who performed a duet of “Car Wash” with Christina Aguilera) in the 2004 DreamWorks animated film Shark’s Tale. The singer/songwriter/rapper also appeared as herself in the 2003 film Honey, starring Jessica Alba and was in two episodes of the Fox musical drama, Star, in 2017.
The role comes as Missy Elliott is set to go on her first headlining tour this summer. The Out of This World Tour — The Missy Elliott Experience will also feature Ciara, Timbaland and Busta Rhymes. It opens in Vancouver, Canada, on July 4 with dates in 24 cities across the United States and Canada including Seattle, Oakland, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Denver, Tampa, Atlanta, Detroit and Toronto with the finale in Rosemont, Illinois, on Aug. 22.
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Pharrell Williams’ life will be coming to the big screen in the most Pharrell way possible. A LEGO movie has been made of his life.
Hype Beast is reporting that the Virginia Beach, Va. creative has struck a deal with the game and media conglomerate. On Friday, Jan. 26, Skateboard P announced the news via his social media channels stating, “Who would’ve thought that playing with LEGO bricks as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life. It’s proof that you can do it too…”.
Titled Piece By Piece the movie is expected to defy “genres and expectations to transport audiences into a LEGO® world where anything is possible.”
This film will be directed by Morgan Neville (Won’t You Be My Neighbor?). The Grammy Award winner detailed how the project came to be in a formal statement. “Five years ago, Pharrell Williams approached me with the idea of helping him tell his story through LEGO animation,” he said. “It was one of those rare moments where I knew in a second that this was a journey I wanted to go on.”
Piece By Piece is slated for an Oct. 11, 2024 release date. It is unclear if the piece will truly be a biopic-style offering or will just be inspired by Pharrell Williams’ life.
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Pharrell Williams certainly knows how to get the people going. On Friday (Jan. 12), the multihyphenate talent teased a collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Timberland, and all the corners of well-dressed, fashion-forward social media are going in.
If you don’t know, one of Pharrell’s current gigs is Creative Director of Louis Vuitton. This union with Timberland is just the latest bomb drop since he picked up the reigns of LV about a year ago to fill the void left by the untimely passing of Virgil Abloh.
Taking to his LV’d out @skateboard Instagram, Pharrell showed off what looks like your standard 6″ high construction Timberland boot—except his version sports the Timberland logo with “Louis Vuitton Paris” written below on the tongue and the world-recognized LV logo on the inner portion which he of course folded down for a look. After the reveal, he pulled down his wide-legged denim that surely cost more than your standard Timbs, too.
No word on a release date or pricing, but you can guarantee these will sell out instantly and cost a grip considering the LV x Nike Air Force 1’s went for about $2750, at retail. Expect to see plenty of these at LV’s Fall/Winter 2024 menswear show that goes down on January 16 during Paris Fashion Week.
No matter the high price of admission, social media has already started either thirsting for these or slandering the design as “lazy.” See for yourself in the gallery.
We’d take a pair, for review purposes, though.
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It’s been a hot minute since Pharrell Williams was dominating the airwaves with his out-of-this-world music production, but that doesn’t mean the man hasn’t been hard at work on other projects.
Source: WWD / Getty
On Wednesday (Nov. 29), Nice Kicks gave sneakerheads a sneak peak at Skateboard P’s upcoming Louis Vuitton sneaker silhouette, and well, at least they look comfortable. Images of the new Pharrell Louis Vuitton 3D-printed shoe was shared by KAWS and Pusha T (of course), and though they don’t look like anything too special, best believe it will cost a grip to get your feet in a pair of these.
Nice Kicks reports:
The 3D-printed-like clog is embossed with LV’s insignia on the side panels and VUITTON across the front with “Show Hong Kong” in the interior. However, not much else is known about the shoe. However, first looks and co-signs from KAWS and Pusha indicate that the first LV shoe under Pharrell will be a focal point for the fashion house.
Yeah, we really don’t expect these to be a hot commodity for resellers as everything seems to be bricking these days. But hey, if you’re a fan of Pharrell and Louis Vuitton, go for it. We ain’t mad at cha.
Check out pics of the Pharrell x Louis Vuitton croc-ish kicks, and let us know if Louis Vuitton’s Mens Creative Director has a hit on his hands in the comments section below.
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Source: KEIZŌ KITAJIMA AND MARTINE SYMS / KEIZŌ KITAJIMA AND MARTINE SYMS
Even while pregnant Rihanna still slays. She and her baby bump are the new stars of Pharrell William’s Louis Vuitton campaign.
As spotted on HipHopDX Bad Gyal RiRi has been tapped by Skateboard P for his inaugural drop for the Men’s Spring Summer 2023 collection with the French fashion house. “Conjuring the bustling energy of Canal Street in New York, Rihanna embodies the trailblazing vision of Pharrell Williams’ debut collection with a new rendition of the emblematic Speedy” the caption read.
The “We Found Love” singer is captured sporting the brand’s Speedy handbag and duffle bag. “The new Speedy conjures through the inimitable savoir-faire of the maison a visual language evocative of the codes and stylistic attitude of Canal Street. It is an everyday icon conceived for every walk of life,” Luis Vuitton said in a formal statement.
On Tuesday, June 20 Pharrell Williams presented his first collection for Louis Vuitton at the iconic Pont Neuf in Paris. The event was attended by several noted celebrities including Jared Leto, Kim Kardashian, Pusha T and Jay-Z. Pharrell Williams closed his debut show for Louis Vuitton in a digitalized Damoflage motif suit, paying tribute to Paris with the reinvigorated emblem of the Maison.
You can see the Rihanna Louis Vuitton promotional trailer below.
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Photo: KEIZŌ KITAJIMA AND MARTINE SYMS
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