For Pharrell Williams, Chanel has always been something to aspire to. Before he began wearing the brand himself, he used to customize his own sneakers by drawing the iconic interlocking “C” logo on them. As a nod to graffiti culture, Pharrell leaves his signature on sneakers, bags, and sweatshirts. A long-sleeve white shirt reveals the story behind the capsule collection: “10 years ago, a friend of mine noticed I was drawing Chanel’s CCs on my shoes and said to me, ‘you know one day you will collab with them?’ to which I replied ‘of course not’ (…) 10 years later here we are with … my … CHANEL WISH LIST” said Pharrell to chanel.com.
As his relationship with Chanel developed, Williams’ own creative identity has brought an energy and zest to Chanel, honoring its legacy while exemplifying its ability to evolve. “I don’t have a style as much as I have tendencies. I find a silhouette that I like, that I’m inspired by… and that becomes my look for like, 6 to 8 months… I’m a creature of habit, and I wear seemingly the same shit… until I’m inspired by something else and then I completely get rid of everything else” said Pharrell to Highsnobiety.com.
Pharrell and Chanel have been working together for a while now. In the “24 Hours with Pharrell”, Pharrell discusses his style inspiration, as well as what it was like creating the collection alongside Karl Lagerfeld, the interview was filmed the day after he walked the Chanel Métiers d’Arts show back in December at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
This aspect of the fashion house is something that Williams touches on in a behind-the-scenes video for the fashion film that was released ahead of the capsule collection. “Gabrielle Coco Chanel didn’t see partitions and it’s interesting because neither did the brand when it came to giving me a shot,” Williams says in the video. “There doesn’t need to be boundaries as long as you can hold on to the heritage and continue to push it like Karl always does.”
Let’s take a look at the collection and the ad campaign.
