These days there is nothing but talk about Pharrell Williams’ first fashion show for Louis Vuitton, which took place on June 20, 2023 in Paris. On the Pont Neuf in the fashion capital, the American producer and musician presented his first collection of Louis Vuitton menswear of which he is the new creative director.
This event brought together so many pop culture celebrities such as Beyoncé, Rihanna, Kim Kardashian, Lewis Hamilton, Jaden Smith, Lenny Kravitz, Naomi Campbell, Omar Sy, and many others, making it in effect the event of the season. But it is certainly not just the presence of the VIPs that made headlines, as much as the show that was put on for the occasion and that put fashion and the history of the brand in the spotlight.
Pharrell Williams, damier and conscious innovation
The damier is the main theme of Pharrell Williams’ first men’s fashion collection by Louis Vuitton. It is the famous checkered pattern invented by the fashion house in the 19th century to combat counterfeiting and that becomes today a totalizing pattern reminiscent of the pixels of digital images. The message is clear: we are moving toward the future but without forgetting the past, because innovation does not mean distorting or erasing one’s history but rather looking at it with new eyes, reinterpreting it, shaping it, transforming it.
It is for many years that in GuidoMaggi, collection after collection, we have been carrying on this concept of conscious innovation. Just like the new creative director of Louis Vuitton’s men’s line, we are very mindful of our founding stylistic figures, such as full-grain leather and craftsmanship, and year after year we work looking to the future. This is how we continuously improve the patented technology of our men’s elevator shoes, and this is how we produce an original collection each season that never loses the GuidoMaggi style but supports new ideas and new inspirations. This is also evident in the spring summer 2023 collection that was presented in the fashion show at Piazza Gae Aulenti in Milan.
GuidoMaggi: pop and luxury also in the world of tailormade
Vanity Fair says “in the world of Pharrell Williams, and in the world of Louis Vuitton, pop and luxury are the world’s best allies, and therefore fashion’s best allies.” This is certainly true in Louis Vuitton’s ready-to-wear. But we also find the same characteristics in the tailormade world of GuidoMaggi. And this is not a contradiction but a synthesis of luxury, understood as handcrafted quality, and the demands of a global audience, tradition and modernity, in a single brand and its corporate philosophy.
“Craftsmanship is a cool world, perhaps the coolest today. In a system where disposable seems to prevail, what is handmade to measure lasts over time and is therefore truly eco-sustainable,” said Emanuele Briganti, Ceo GuidoMaggi, “This is why craftsmanship is the future. As a society we are already rediscovering its nobility and beauty, to find in the ancient values of quality and durability a new way of life, individual and collective.“
GuidoMaggi’s new collection and the Milan fashion show
GuidoMaggi presented its Spring/Summer 2023 collection during a fashion show held in Milan’s Piazza Gae Aulenti. Bubbly, dynamic, exclusive and chic, the selection of new models that walked the runway received great appreciation from the audience in attendance followed by a huge commercial success both inside the showrooms and on the e-commerce of luxury elevator shoes.
GuidoMaggi shoes are handcrafted masterpieces, strictly 100% made in Italy, with an extra touch that makes them unique: the elevating system that gives up to 15 centimeters of extra height, in total comfort and discretion.
Just like the 2024 Louis Vuitton collection just presented in Paris, the GuidoMaggi 2023 collection announces the same color palette inspired by the strength and nuances of nature: models with warm tones, with colors that recall those of the earth, comfortable and sophisticated footwear at the same time.
And like any self-respecting collection, there are top models that fully summarize its spirit. Such as the Aeia men’s sandals characterized by an arabesque silhouette for the full-grain leather upper, seductive burgundy buffered coloring, superlight black sole and cushioned footbed, capable of giving up to 5 centimeters of extra height. Or the new elevator sneakers from the Giant line that also aroused so much interest at Pitti Uomo 104 that perfectly mix precious exotic python leather with fine full-grain leather and a special perforated technical fabric to maximize those lightweight and versatile features expected of a summer shoe, all with up to 12.5 centimeters of height gain. Then there are the Ushuaia suede loafers made in the exclusive orange Hermès colorway, with super soft velour suede uppers, exposed stitching that accentuates the sophisticated style, and a natural rubber sole for a 6.5-centimeter height gain.
