By Farah Master and Joyce Zhou
HONG KONG (Reuters) – Pharrell Williams took to Hong Kong for his second Louis Vuitton runway outing, showcasing the label’s latest menswear designs on a runway overlooking the city’s harbour at night.
The event drew crowds to the Victoria Dockside, a waterfront promenade lining a sprawling complex of shopping malls, exhibit halls and hotels built by Adrian Cheng, the scion of one of Hong Kong’s top property developers.
The LVMH-owned label’s star-studded event comes as post-pandemic tourist flows resume in the region, and as Hong Kong seeks to regain its lustre after prolonged periods of lockdowns deflated its retail scene.
Luxury labels are flocking to Asia, and China especially, a key market for the industry, while rising inflation cools appetite for high-end fashion in the United States and Europe.
Fans gathered before the show– some on boats — angling to see celebrities like Chinese actor Dylan Wang and Hong Kong boy band Mirror, as a traditional wooden junk boat floated nearby, its sails lit up with Louis Vuitton monograms.
Ukulele players in t-shirts kicked off the show, playing music composed by Williams, American rapper Swae Lee and Puerto Rican reggaeton singer Rauw Alejandro.
Models marched down the Avenue of Stars — covered in sand — parading relaxed, tailored looks evoking sailor uniforms, breezy Hawaiian shirts and varsity jackets with prominent shell motifs.
Williams, 50, famous for pop hits “Happy” and “Blurred Lines,” generated considerable buzz with his first runway show for the label – the world’s biggest – in Paris in June, performing on the Pont Neuf with Jay-Z.
(Reporting by Joyce Zhou and Farah Master; Writing by Mimosa Spencer; Editing by Mark Porter)
