From Paris With Love (And A Lot Of Embroidery): LV’s Indian-Inspired SS26
Pharrell Williams sent a clear message at the Louis Vuitton SS26 menswear show in Paris: modern Indian sartorialism has reshaped the global wardrobe. Titled “Paris to India,” the collection blended Indian craft, soft tailoring and spiritual symbolism into a fashion experience.
Williams staged the show outside the Centre Pompidou, transforming the plaza into a giant, wooden Snakes and Ladders board. Created alongside Mumbai architect Bijoy Jain of Studio Mumbai, the board represented opportunity, challenge, and ascent—key themes drawn from Indian culture. Pharrell echoed that vision: the game setting became “a visual sermon on ascension,” as one reviewer put it.
Critics and audiences embraced the concept. Vogue Runway ranked it the second most‑viewed SS26 menswear show, behind only Dior. Wallpaper* praised its “vibrant celebration of India” and noteworthy cultural fusion.
Craft and color rooted in Indian heritage
Pharrell drew directly from his recent visits to Delhi, Mumbai and Jaipur. He infused the palette with turmeric yellows, sun-faded browns, dusty pastels and bleached burgundies—tones inspired by Indian spice markets, cityscapes and textiles. He even replaced traditional indigo denim with a woven coffee-brown denim that reveals white threads over time, nodding to slow, artisanal production. Garments featured draped silks, embroidered cottons, soft tailoring and relaxed layering—reflecting vernacular Indian dandyism, especially visible in metropolitan settings like spice markets and boardrooms. Critics noted that this dandy spirit, rooted in “barbershops, block parties and borrowed uncles’ blazers,” echoed across the collection.
A meaningful cultural conversation
This wasn’t surface-level homage. Harper’s Bazaar India highlighted how India surfaced in every aspect—from architecture and soundtrack to fabric, color and “sensibility”. Pharrell’s creative team collaborated with Indian voices, including A.R. Rahman, who co-produced the runway score titled “Yaara Punjabi”. Studio Mumbai’s architectural vision anchored the show in Indian tradition, not mere stylistic borrowing.
Men’s‑folio summed it up: “Louis Vuitton thrived on the exploration of cultural fashion” by merging India’s modern styles into a global context.
South Asia at the center of global menswear
Industry voices now say South Asia is the season’s key trend. GQ India called it “the biggest trend in menswear right now,” pointing to Kantha stitching, Kolhapuri sandals and Indian-rooted runway narratives. Beyond LV, labels across Milan and Paris spotlighted South Asian techniques, fabrics and flair, marking a shift in fashion’s global horticulture.
Pharrell’s show amplified this cultural shift. It placed Indian aesthetics at the heart of a luxury menswear narrative.
Why this matters beyond Summer
Louis Vuitton’s SS26 show demonstrates that South Asia now commands center-stage in contemporary menswear. He speaks to brands’ new direction: moving past token motifs to embed cultural narratives into every thread. This is fashion as cultural dialogue, not appropriation—fashion as connection.
As designers and maisons turn eastward, South Asia’s growing influence guarantees a richer, more interconnected vision of modern menswear. check out more on Louis Vuitton here.