It’s not often that the forecourt of the Centre Pompidou in the heart of Paris becomes the stage for a fashion show. One might recall Stella McCartney’s presentation there in October 2022, but in recent memory, no other brand has dared to privatise the space for several days. That was until Pharrell Williams arrived. Since taking over Louis Vuitton’s menswear collections at the start of 2023, he has made a habit of transforming iconic locations into his own creative playground – whether it was covering the Pont-Neuf in gold, turning the Fondation Louis Vuitton into a Wild West landscape, or laying grass across the UNESCO esplanade.

This time, Pharrell chose the Centre Pompidou in the 4th arrondissement as the backdrop to open the summer session of Paris Fashion Week. This week, brands are unveiling their Spring–Summer 2026 collections, setting the tone for the year ahead – and Louis Vuitton traditionally headlines the first day. Today marks Pharrell’s sixth show for the house, and in just over a year, it’s fair to say he has made the Vuitton man distinctly his own. Case in point: last Friday, the brand welcomed us into its studio near the Pont-Neuf for an exclusive preview of the new collection. Between fittings, the design team walked us through the inspirations behind the Spring–Summer 2026 wardrobe.

“Pharrell was inspired by a trip to India he took in 2018, and that became our central theme,” explained the head of menswear. “The studio travelled back together to explore cities like Delhi and Mumbai, drawing inspiration from the way people dress – from colour palettes to silhouettes.” On the runway, the aim was not to interpret Indian fashion literally, but to capture the essence of “the different Indias” the team encountered.

Since his debut, Pharrell has been redefining the identity of the Vuitton man – introducing the idea of a new kind of modern-day dandy. That concept was especially prominent in the Autumn/Winter 2025/2026 collection, and it continues here. “P is very committed to that idea – it’s part of his DNA,” said the studio. “Every season, the goal is to carry that vision forward: something chic and luxurious in the Louis Vuitton tradition, but expressed through his own creative language.”

Pharrell’s signature style becomes clearer with each collection: flared bootcut trousers, voluminous jackets, wrap coats and relaxed tailoring inspired by a fusion of workwear and classic suiting. This season, that design vocabulary is filtered through Indian influences – both in cuts and colours, as well as through details that nod to Hindu culture. “There are many shades of the same colour, drawn directly from the indigo, red, green and beige pigments we encountered during the trip,” the team explained.

Remaining true to his neo-dandy aesthetic, Pharrell also revisits tailoring codes – pairing striped shirts with sharply cut or elongated suits, styled with both formal square-toed loafers and the LV Flip, a chunky-soled flip-flop. “We had fun playing with proportions to create different silhouettes,” said the footwear designer. “Once the shape is right, it’s all about the variations.” Louis Vuitton’s extensive trainer offering was joined this time by more formal options – with a twist – such as updated moccasins and derbies. The designs even drew on trekking boots worn by mountain guides in India. Outdoor influences appeared throughout the collection in the form of technical jackets, fleece puffers and nylon trousers. Indian cultural references were woven into the collection right down to the show’s staging – the set was inspired by the ancient Indian board game Snakes and Ladders, a nod echoed in the invitation: a leather keyring holding four dice.

But India wasn’t the only source of inspiration. Pharrell also explored the Louis Vuitton archives and drew from a cult film by none other than Wes Anderson. The Darjeeling Limited – which is also set in India – features Louis Vuitton luggage adorned with prints of jungle animals. Though never released commercially, those pieces are revived in this collection, their motifs reappearing on coats, suits, trunks and even shorts – including on the denim looks worn by Pharrell’s family on the front row. “When Pharrell first saw those pieces in the archives, he said, ‘If I ever do a show about India, we’ll use this,’” the studio shared. Alongside these soon-to-be-iconic garments, a range of bags and trunks appear across the show’s 75 looks, some featuring colour gradients inspired by Indian pigments.

Throughout, the designers emphasised that the collection was intended to convey a sense of ease – an almost nonchalant elegance. “There’s a laid-back attitude, with elements that can be mixed and matched in unexpected ways,” said the head of ready-to-wear. “There’s something extremely charming about clothes that feel lived-in, that move with the body, that evolve over time.” That ethos extended across product categories, including the jewellery – designed to look worn down by daily life.

Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton codes remain very much intact – only here, they’ve been enriched by Indian craftsmanship and spirit. It’s as if the designer had taken his Vuitton wardrobe on a journey across the subcontinent and returned with it enhanced by local traditions. The result is a collection that feels “more natural, less bling”, as the design team put it – and arguably the most mature and refined proposal Pharrell has made for the house to date. Even Beyoncé and Jay-Z, currently on tour in France, showed up to applaud the effort. It doesn’t get more front row than that.