Key Takeaways
- Pharrell’s creative leadership at Louis Vuitton marked a shift in how the brand engages with Hip Hop artists.
- Tyler, The Creator and Lauryn Hill brought original sound and style to Louis Vuitton campaigns and shows.
- These collaborations show how artist-led fashion partnerships are reshaping the luxury space.
Louis Vuitton has always been a status symbol in rap and R&B, but the relationship got louder once the brand started treating artists as more than front-row fixtures. For some time, the iconic fashion house has tapped musicians as designers, campaign faces, soundtrack curators, and on-the-record “house” partners, turning the co-sign into a real exchange.
A huge part of that shift traces back to menswear becoming a cultural playground: Virgil Abloh opened the doors wider, then Pharrell Williams arrived with a creative-director mandate that speaks the language of the charts and the streets at the same time. The result is a timeline where the music isn’t just playing in the background. It’s in the credits.
Below are 11 of the strongest, most concrete Hip Hop and R&B partnerships with Louis Vuitton, spanning official roles, product collaborations, and show moments that felt like history while they were happening.
1. Pharrell Williams
When Louis Vuitton named Pharrell its Men’s Creative Director, it wasn’t a celebrity cameo. It was a full creative handoff. His shows have leaned into music as part of the message, and his casting choices signal a menswear universe built around real cultural architects, not just models in monogram.
2. Rihanna
Pharrell’s first Louis Vuitton menswear campaign didn’t play it safe. He put Rihanna front and center, making the point with one image: pop’s biggest disruptor as the face of LV men’s. The campaign rollout, billboards, and styling turned a simple ad into a moment that felt like a thesis statement for the new era.
3. Tyler, The Creator
This partnership came through a proper capsule: “Louis Vuitton Spring 2024 Men’s Capsule by Tyler, The Creator.” The collection carried his fingerprints, from color choices to the playful polish he’s been refining for years. It also proved Pharrell’s LV could collaborate without sanding down an artist’s personality.
4. Kanye West
Long before luxury collabs became routine, Kanye had Louis Vuitton sneakers on his résumé. The “Louis Vuitton Don” shoes (released in 2009) captured a specific turning point: hip-hop creatives treating fashion like an arena they could actually shape, not just consume. Even now, the collab reads like an early blueprint.
5. Pusha T
Pusha T becoming a Louis Vuitton House Ambassador felt less like a surprise and more like a label finally catching up to a long-running alignment. He’s spent years building a luxury-rap aesthetic that’s detail-obsessed, grown-man, and precise. The official title makes that relationship undeniable, not implied.
6. Future
Louis Vuitton naming Future a “Friend of the House” is another example of the brand putting language to a relationship fans could already see. His style has always been part of his mythology, and under Pharrell’s direction, LV has leaned into artists who move product with presence, not just endorsements.
7. Kendrick Lamar
For Louis Vuitton’s Spring/Summer 2023 menswear show, Kendrick delivered a performance that doubled as tribute, weaving his music into a farewell moment for Virgil Abloh. It wasn’t a random booking. It was a deliberate bridge between artistry, grief, and legacy, underscored by a set that felt like a live scoring of the runway.
8. Drake
Drake premiered “Signs” as the soundtrack to Louis Vuitton’s men’s runway show in Paris, turning a fashion week stream into a music debut. The move captured a very Drake-like flex: releasing a song inside a luxury moment, then letting it live on as part of the show’s identity.
9. JAY-Z
Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton debut on Paris’ Pont Neuf was already stacked, then Hov stepped in and made it feel like a concert. JAY-Z performing at a runway show isn’t just star power. It’s LV positioning itself as a cultural stage, and it hit even harder because the moment centered on longtime creative chemistry.
10. Clipse
Pusha T and No Malice walking Pharrell’s first LV show as Clipse turned the runway into a reunion without needing a press conference. Reports also noted a new Clipse track played during the presentation, making the show feel like both a fashion debut and a rap-world breadcrumb. It was brand storytelling that rap fans could decode instantly.
11. Lauryn Hill
For Louis Vuitton’s Men’s Spring/Summer 2021 show in Shanghai, Lauryn Hill created an original performance recording that premiered as part of the presentation. The six-song set wasn’t a quick tie-in; it was a curated, cinematic piece that treated her voice and presence as the show’s emotional anchor.