Louis Vuitton [Extended] — Season 1 Episode 1 — Pharrell Williams

[0:00]Art and culture. These two words, in their broadest sense, are the real thing at Louis Vuitton. Fashion shows, collaborations, openings, exhibitions. Ever wondered who's behind every hot moment at the Maison? I'm Luke Pjon, and I'm delighted to be your eyes, ears, and voice with a very French accent. To extend your cultural perspectives and broaden your horizons.

[0:33]You are listening to the Louis Vuitton Podcast, Extended. Welcome and I hope you enjoy today's episode.

[0:56]The 20th of June was the first Louis Vuitton men's wear fashion show by Pharrell Williams in Paris. We were on the Pont Neuf, in the middle of a sunset, an endless sunset, gold everywhere. Pont Neuf, which means New Bridge, is actually the oldest existing bridge in Paris. It's associated with culture, high and low. It's the most beautiful bridge in Paris. It was painted by Claude Monet. Christo and Jean-Claude wrapped it in 1985. Oh, I mean it's beautiful. It's such an iconic location and it just feels very Parisian. It's a bridge that's central in the film Les Amants du Pont Neuf, The Lovers on the Bridge by Leos Carax with Denis Lavant and Juliette Binoche. What happens on the Pont Neuf is not just a fashion show, it's a moment. I'm very excited to see what he's going to do. These new patterns, new prints, new bags, new accessories, a new monogram, a new way to use the old monogram. There was fashion. So, it's amazing to be here for his first show and, yeah. Just here to support. I'm a big fan of his. The celebrities more than usual. Maybe the most we've ever seen at a fashion show. Everybody was there. I think it's exciting. It's pop culture and I love pop culture and, you know, bringing that fusion of entertainment, pop culture, music, fashion, it all blends, it's all together. It's symbiotic. Rihanna, Beyoncé, Zendaya, Jay-Z, LeBron James, the VICS, the Babani sisters, we heard the music, so it got us even more excited. Designers like Jeremy Scott, Matthew Williams from Alyx and Givenchy, Jonathan Anderson from JW Anderson and Loewe. I mean he's part of the big bad family now. Because it's very difficult when you do your first show, you want everyone to support. And, you know, part of the LVMH. And it's exciting. Look at this.

[3:16]It feels like a mega event, a fashion show mixed with a sports event, mixed with a celebrity wedding, mixed with a gallery opening or maybe 10 gallery openings, mixed with a live podcast event, mixed with a concert, mixed with a solstice, mixed with Paris. So in fact, it's a ceremony. And to signal this is a ceremony, Pharrell Williams decided there would be a choir, a gospel choir. Think spirituality. Pharrell Williams' uncle is a pastor in Virginia, he's called Bishop Ezekiel Williams. And together they have formed Voices of Fire, a very charismatic choir. So charismatic, Netflix did a six-episode series about them. So Voices of Fire is on the bridge, on the Pont Neuf, along with French singers of different French choirs. The pianist Lang Lang is playing live. And a super special song called Joy and Unspeakable was sung and sung and sung by Voices of Fire.

[4:36]Today, exclusively for the Louis Vuitton Podcast Extended, we go to the Pont Neuf offices of Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton. To talk with him and be joined by Ezekiel Williams. Are you ready for this conversation? I think not. Pharrell Williams' office is a canvas. There's computers, mood boards, pictures of new silhouettes of upcoming collections and capsules, lots of prototypes, lots of ideas, but there is also a mic, electronic stuff, instruments because he's recording while he's also designing. I've never seen that before. It feels like entering a place of unparalleled creativity. Not just fashion, not just music, a Pharrell Williams universe. I won't begin to describe because it will be limiting and this podcast is called extended not limited. We had to extend, expand, expand your horizons. So listen and try to open your mind, your cultural mind, your spiritual mind. Let's go. Here comes Pharrell Williams.

[5:52]Nice to see you here. I can only notice that it's already turned into a music studio. Well, part of it. Through these doors, this whole entire corridor is a design studio. Well, my design studio, and then out through here is the rest of like all of our folks. So we have 55 different departments and 2500 soldiers. It's amazing. It's a lot that it takes to keep this motor running. It's the people who came out at the end of the show with you? Yeah, well, those are pretty much the generals of each department. Yeah. They're the best. You know, I was blessed to walk into a position where the one prerequisite for me was that it would be respected that I am a student, stepping into this position. So, a ruler of a position nonetheless, but a student, a perpetual student forever. And second, that I would be able to, you know, lift my people who are helping me and I'm surrounded by masterful artisans. The best in the game, in my opinion. Can you tell me about the concept of the collection? It was LV Lovers? Yeah, Lovers with the LV. Yeah. You know, the point is is that when I got this appointment, I realized I'm one to always like kind of share my experiences and even try to impress upon others to have, you know, to share that experience with me. And so for me, I wanted to express my gratitude for getting the appointment and really show my appreciation for the opportunity itself to really showcase details.

[7:33]I love details. I'm a lover of details, especially when things are well done. When things are wearable, when things are chic, and when they're well done, that's like my thing. And I wanted to make sure that like everybody felt that across the board. And so Lovers for me is literally just explaining that. It's also derivative from the slogan in Virginia, the state of Virginia, where I'm from. It's like Virginia's for Lovers. And so when we did our first just little thing like just capsule for something in the water in Virginia Beach. Maybe, I don't know, five, six months back, we took the slogan, the state mantra, and that word Lovers just became like such a big and special thing cuz I loved the way it looked. And we brought that all the way to Paris. So it was like VA to Paris, Paris to VA. And you'll see a lot of that going forward. So when you see Lovers, it's like another word for like appreciators of all good things. Everybody saw this. It's a an epic scale of the show. It feels like there's almost a cosmic scale of it because it was in the solstice. Yes. And it was going to stay on the solstice but we changed it because Fete de la Musique was the next day. And I wanted to have it then because I wanted it right after the show to have a dance party, which we did. Right? But the prefecture was so good to us in giving us the bridge. It had never happened before. In fact, the only thing that's ever happened on that bridge in the history of it was like the army and Christo covered it. But never an activity that involved people. So we wanted to be appreciative of that. I did that we were granted that. It was Fete de la Musique in a way. There were musicians. Well, here's the interesting thing. Our show continued until midnight which started Fete de la Musique. So we still got a chance to do it, but we were clearing out by the time it started. When did you want to have a choir singing during the show? I mean, it's a special choir. It's a special choir. But I wanted to bring the universe into the conversation. I wanted people to be clear that the universe had the sun shining on me. And so I felt like the greatest way to express that on the end of it was with this song Joy by Voices of Fire. Can you tell me about that song? That song, it's like a Hallmark card for encouragement. When you're feeling low and you feel like you don't have any other answers, faith is a very powerful thing. And it doesn't mean that it's like 100% on everybody at the time that they want it. But it's 100% cuz it does come around. Maybe not on your time but it's going to come around, on the universe's time. And I don't know, it was just a feeling from that that I wanted the world to feel. Was it written for the show? It was a song that was written for Voice of Fire and made the most sense to debut at the show. Cuz it's almost like the show was written for the song. The show, which is this big platform of a lot of people, right? If we look at those numbers, a lot of people saw it, it's like that platform was made for the song, for that message. What is the Voice of Fire in your heart? Voice of Fire is my uncle's choir. They're out of Norfolk, Virginia, in the 757. The choir is just an amazing one. I mean, what they do is people hear them and they find reverence that they may not have had with the universe before. They realized the universe is alive. They might not have looked at it like that before, right? Like a lot of people look at space and they see it as a just static thing. And only until like a shooting star, which is basically like a small rock or whatever, enters the atmosphere and it's on fire, they go, oh, okay, it moves. But all we have to do is just take zoom out for a second and realize that our solar system moves. And all the other solar systems and the stars that we see, they are not just stars, they're suns as well. And they're surrounded by planets that we may or may not have seen already. And all of these planets are moving. Now you're witnessing the procedure of how the universe moves, because the universe is alive. That's what Voices of Fire makes people feel, they start to realize that that's just skin, which is a spiritual encasement. Your spirit is the most relevant aspect of your essence. And then you ask yourself, who gave you that gift? And that's when you feel the joy. So it's about elevation? Absolutely. Can you tell me about the creation of the other two songs in the show? One is Peace Be Still. I've been working on that for like 10 years, or over 10 years. Is it out? No, it'll be out in the winter. Lang Lang played on it as well. How is it Lang Lang playing on it? I mean, he's a genius. He's a genius man. And his touches on the piece just elevates it. We're just finally finishing the recording of it. People basically heard a rough but it's like powerful. There's three movements. And then the middle composition is by Clipse, Pusha T and his brother, Malice. Who were walking the show too? Yeah, they were in the show as well. And that was just, that's just like a cut from their record. But that composition is called Chains and Whips. And that's just about like us beating the odds. Coming from where our DNA has come from over the last 400 years to where our DNA is now and the opportunities that our DNA's have. And the idea that we get this platform from this amazing French house to do these things, to express ourselves and be creative. This house allows us to beat the system. To me, I felt like you were super generous as a giver to be present that day. With the music and everything. Yeah, that was the point. I just wanted to give. I'm so happy and I'm so grateful. I just want to give. That's the essence of Fete de la Musique is that you get music you you wouldn't expect in a way why on the streets of Paris. Yeah, that's the goal. I think we can call Bishop Williams, your uncle. Who is from Virginia, in Norfolk?

[13:58]Hello, Bishop Williams, can you hear us? Yes, sir, I can hear you. How are you? I'm super good. I'm with your nephew. Bishop Williams, can you tell me how was the experience of singing on Pont Neuf with the choir on that day? Oh, wow, listen, it was absolutely breathtaking. It was amazing to experience being there. The sun, the weather, the gold on the bridge, the crowd. It was like being in heaven, I would say. Voice of fire were just like the angels singing. And, uh, I think everybody had the goosebumps. I think everybody had the hairs raised on their arms and on their necks. It was life changing. Yeah. Can you tell us about the mood of the singers? How did they react being there with you? The energy level was on 100. I would say we superseded that. It was beyond 100. Everybody was excited. Ecstatic, just overjoyed to be a part of what was taking place, to be present, to see what was taking place and be a part of it becoming a reality. Something that they never dreamt of, never dreamed of being a part of, coming into fruition. And the whole scenario of pinch me, so I can know this is real. Yeah, it was like that. You should tell them what you told me, because there's a Voice of Fire choir and then there's the local Parisian choir that they got with as well, right? Oh yeah, of course, we have our Voice of Fire choir, but then there was a Parisian choir there that I believe was comprised of different singers from around Paris. Some maybe saying together already and some from different other areas. And they came together and we sang.

[16:16]And it was also life changing because they were working together in the studio. We got close in a very short amount of time. And before we left, on our way preparing to come to the fashion show, spontaneously, we sang one last song in rehearsal. And I begin to talk about the fact that we weren't there just for the fashion show, but because we felt like joy among everyone who would hear that song, who would be present. And that was our real purpose. So the Parisians were so moved by the song that they begin to weep. And even the engineers begin to weep at the rehearsal, to the point that they could not even leave. They had to just take a moment and get themselves together because we had to just hold one another and console one another. And they expressed the fact that they had never experienced gospel on such a level. And some of the engineers said they had never experienced gospel music. And they wanted more. Some express that they were going to come to the US to experience more. They wanted us to come back to Paris so that they could experience more. They wanted to work together on other occasions. And they had never experienced singing on this level and it was just a very, very powerful moment. And we knew that this was ordained and we knew that our performance then was going to really, really be powerful. And so on the day of the performance, on the day of the fashion show, once this took place, it was no doubt that we were going to experience what we experienced. And so when that did happen, oh my God, what we expected to happen, we never dreamed that it would be that level. It was even greater than what we thought. It was just amazing. I was told that the people of the French choirs didn't know they were to play for this event. Which must have been quite a surprise to them, no? Oh, they weren't alerted. They just told them to show up. They didn't know it was a So yeah, that would explain why they must have got the shock of, okay, wow, we're going to do something of this magnitude. But then at the same time, man, I just was told to come over here. I I didn't know I was going to feel like this. So that's powerful. From our perspective, my uncle and I were talking, they came to support the fashion show, right? But they didn't come for fashion. Bishop Williams, could you tell us what's the meaning of the song Joy for you? Listen, Joy is everything because Joy is more than happiness. Happiness, it derives from something having to take place. If things don't go right, then your happiness can be affected. However, joy is something that comes from a deep spiritual place. And so this joy that we're singing about is not something that money can provide for us. It's not something that fame can provide for us, riches or notoriety. Nothing like that can produce joy because all of those things are fleeting.

[19:56]All of those things you can have today and they can be gone tomorrow and your joy would be gone. But this joy I have, the world didn't give and the world can't take away because it comes from a higher source. And so that's what we're singing about, joy. Do you feel that? Yeah. When I saw the documentary you did together about the Voices of Fire, I was overwhelmed by the compassion and the elevation of that choir. It's not just singing, it's really about being together against all odds, I guess. Yeah, that's exactly right. How did you feel after the show? You wanted to do it again? Oh, listen, I didn't want to leave Paris. I wanted to stay. Uh, you know, I have a family in the US and uh, of course, I had to return, but I could have stayed right there. And we could have done another show the next night. And uh, we could have continued on because it was real. It was live and we were ready. I mean, how could you leave? I mean, we were walking the streets and people that we did not know were singing the song. They had just heard it and they were singing joy. That's amazing. To be walking the streets in a country that you've only visited one time and in the middle of the night, people are singing, joy, joy, joy. Walk in the streets and people are calling you by your first name. Ezekiel, and they're singing joy, joy, joy. That says to me that you've touched them in a place that they have not been touched before. You've reached them in a way that they have not been reached before. And so, yes, I wanted to do it again and I would do it again. Are you suggesting that there's an opportunity to do it again? If you have the time, you will be back in Paris. That's the most I can say. And if this time that we, what we just did was big, I don't know what this next thing is. I can't even put it into words. Wow. That's the most I can say. Yeah, absolutely. It's unspeakable. Hey. Yes, sir. Were you aware of the magnitude it would have? Well, I knew it would be big. But who could know just how big?

[22:28]But you know what? When you think about that, when you get through thinking, when you get through imagining, it's going to be greater than that. So whatever it is that we expected, I knew it had to be greater. You know the crazy thing is, you seen me the last time, don't you? You know what I was doing, don't you? Over at another house, speaking for someone else, who was in a position similar to this. But you see where we are right now? You saw the magnitude of what we did? It was not me. It's the universe we serve. The all that is, all that ever was and all that ever will be. That's who we serve, the universe. I'm not perfect, I'm not sinless, but I know who I work for.

[23:11]So like I said, you might not have heard this before, but the song wasn't created for the fashion show. The fashion show and the platform that it is was created for the song. Because the song gives glory to the highest power that you will ever know, ever. You can look wherever you want. If you had a spaceship that could had enough fuel to take you to the end of the universe, you'd never reach it, because it's infinite. That's who we serve. Incline. Oh, that means incredible in French. Oh yeah, I feel the same with it.

[23:46]I love your laugh. It's the best. What did you think of the fashion show? I thought it was absolutely extraordinary. I had not seen anything like unto it.

[24:04]And I'm not just saying that because we are related, I'm not just saying that because we have history. I'm literally saying that because it was mind blowing. He is one of the most creative individuals I have ever known.

[24:23]I've studied his artwork since he was a young fellow and he's always been an artist. And it has grown to where he is today. And uh, it's just amazing. And so now in this fashion design, oh my God, it was the most amazing show. And there on the bridge, with the gold, the streets of gold, oh my Lord, the whole bridge was golden. It was just the most amazing thing I've ever seen. And uh, I don't know what could be done to outdo this unless you do something suspended in midair. And I don't know that that's not possible because you you've outdone yourself before. So hey, I'm just waiting to see what you're going to do next. Listen, thank you for the kind reflections and listen, I love you. You're my uncle, but you are also very powerful man. And when you're talking, it's just humbling for me. So when he says things and it's aimed toward me, it's too much. It's like, you know, I have to fight back tears because it's just too powerful. So thank you. That's why I'm like shaking and moving and like it's just too much. But I'm I'm honored that that is my uncle. I'm honored that that is my bloodline. I love you too, man. Thank you, sir. Appreciate you, uncle. Love you. Love you too. Y'all have a great one.

[25:55]Thank you for listening to this episode of the Louis Vuitton Podcast Extended. I'll be inviting you soon to discover new stories in the company of visionary personalities. You will find all the episodes on your favorite listening platforms, such as Spotify and Apple Podcasts. You should subscribe to the podcast to get notifications, so you don't miss any upcoming episodes. I look forward to welcoming you back.