Rev up your wardrobe with the bag everyone’s chasing this season: Louis Vuitton’s iconic Speedy— reimagined in bold hues by Pharrell Williams during his spring 2024 debut as menswear creativedirector for the French label.
Louis Vuitton Men’s Speedy P9 Bandoulière, $11,100, similar styles at Louis Vuitton Photo by Jeffrey Westbrook; Prop stylist: Miako Katoh
And who better to rep these new status symbols than style icons Rihanna and LeBron James, who both appear in the brand’s ad campaigns (top photo)? (James also showed his signature swag rocking a green version to the Los Angeles Lakers’ season opener last year.)
Menswear Creative Director Pharrell Williams (left) carries his own Speedy creation around Paris Fashion Week, while LeBron James slings it cross-body style to the LA Lakers’ opening night in October. Getty Images (2)
Along with who is carrying this impossible-to-get bag, it’s worth noting how they’re showing it off. Instead of opting for someone to hold his bag, “Saltburn” star Jacob Elordi toted his own yellow number so that it popped against a simple white tee and jeans on his way to the Venice International Film Festival.
Rapper Lil Uzi Vert, meanwhile, rocked a green version, which he paired with a head-to-toe, pearl-trimmed’ fit, while preening and posing for shutterbugs at the 2023 BET Awards. (When was the last time anyone carried a bag that big on a red carpet?) In short: Being spotted carrying one is a flex.
“Saltburn” star Jacob Elordi takes his Speedy on a spin to the Venice International Film Festival (left) and rapper Lil Uzi Vert shows off his green edition on the pink carpet before the 2023 BET Awards. Cobra Team/Backgrid; Getty Images
While the original Speedy was designed for the jet set by Gaston-Louis Vuitton in the 1930s (in plain canvas, with no logo — the first Monogram canvas version came out in 1959), Williams’ iteration is the first to come in soft-as-butter leather, designed to melt on the lucky wearer’s arms (or person, if you opt to style it crossbody).
In an era when carrying a tiny bag has been considered luxury, Pharrell’s broken-in, everyday take on theclassic swings the sartorial pendulum back towards bigger-is-better. Catch one if you can.