Pharrell Williams Will Lead Louis Vuitton Men’s, and Other News

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Pharrell Williams Will Lead Louis Vuitton Men’s

Fashion fanatics may have anticipated KidSuper’s ascension to the top creative position at Louis Vuitton Men’s after it named the Brooklyn-based artist as guest menswear designer for the recent Paris shows, but it seems the French house is thinking even bigger. Yesterday, the LVMH-owned brand announced Pharrell Williams will take the role instead, filling a hole left behind when his predecessor, Virgil Abloh, unexpectedly died in late 2021. “His creative vision beyond fashion will undoubtedly lead Louis Vuitton towards a new and very exciting chapter,” Pietro Beccari, Louis Vuitton’s chairman and CEO, said in a statement. 

Pharrell’s ties with luxury brands run deep, from splashy collabs with Chanel, Moncler, and Adidas Originals to launching Billionaire Boys Club and a skincare line called Humanrace. He also brings star power—a key focus for LVMH, whose sweeping rebrand of Tiffany involved a high-profile campaign fronted by Beyoncé and Jay-Z. Louis Vuitton is also dialing into the culture, blanketing its boutiques with Yayoi Kusama’s polka dots and tapping Rosalía to perform at its Paris runway shows. The brand has lately proven adept at spectacle, less so at consistency. Someone as busy as Pharrell producing two quality collections per year across bags, accessories, and ready-to-wear will require an immense amount of focus. No matter: as Dior Homme jewelry design director Yoon Ahn observed, “fashion [is] a platform now.” —Ryan Waddoups

Banksy confirms he completed a new Margate mural depicting a battered housewife.

Banksy has confirmed that he is behind a mural in Margate depicting a 1950s housewife with a chipped tooth and bruised eye pushing her husband into a freezer. The artwork, called Valentine’s Day mascara, was well-received on social media for highlighting domestic violence, particularly on Valentine’s Day and following the high-profile murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa. Controversy arose when a chest freezer and other items used in the artwork, such as a broken white garden chair, a blue crate, and empty beer bottle, were later removed for safety reasons, according to the Thanet District Council. 

LACMA receives a gift of 22 blockchain artworks allegedly donated by Snoop Dogg.

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) has received a promised gift of 22 blockchain-based artworks in a collection considered the “first and largest” of its kind to enter an American art museum. The collection, donated by Cozomo de’ Medici (allegedly rapper Snoop Dogg), features pieces by 13 international artists and showcases a “representative history of the cryptoart movement,” including works in AI, NFT photography, and a major decentralized book minted to the Ethereum blockchain. LACMA has been investing in artists who experiment with technology for decades and runs the Art + Technology Lab, which provides funding and space to artists experimenting with new technologies.

Cartier reissues the Tank Française watch, a favorite among influential women.

Cartier has reissued the Tank Française watch, which was initially released in 1996 and features an integrated metal bracelet. The redesign, which includes seven new variations, took more than 13,000 hours to develop. The timepiece has endured among influential women and has become increasingly popular due to its association with the British royal family, in particular Meghan Markle, who has been seen wearing a Tank Française on several occasions, including in a 2021 portrait for Time magazine’s Most Influential People feature.

Barcelona’s perennially delayed Sagrada Familía basilica faces even more roadblocks. 

The Sagrada Familía basilica in Barcelona, an unfinished landmark that has been under construction since 1882, may face further delays due to the demolition of nearby residences that would make way for the construction of the Glory façade. The elaborate entrance, with a grand staircase, is essential to the cathedral’s completion, which is slated for 2026. The move would require 3,000 people vacating their residences, which has been met with resistance from an association of concerned locals that filed a lawsuit to prevent the demolition.

A group of Native artists protested the use of racist NFL mascots at the Super Bowl.

During Super Bowl LVII, while the Kansas City Chiefs were playing, artist Douglas Miles protested the NFL’s use of racist mascots by painting a mural-style portrait of Geronimo and writing “Don’t Call Me Chief” at a community event near downtown Phoenix. Protesters gathered outside the stadium chanting “change the name” and “stop the chop,” demanding the Kansas City Chiefs end their use of Native appropriation, such as their name, logo, stadium name, the big drum, and the tomahawk chop, which are considered offensive. Although the NFL contracted some artists to create artwork for the Super Bowl, several others found alternative ways to express their protest against Native American mascoting.

Robert Geddes, the influential dean of Princeton’s School of Architecture, dies at 99.

Robert Geddes, the former dean of Princeton’s School of Architecture, who transformed the School and was known for designing elegant modernist buildings, has died at 99. Throughout his career, Geddes worked to elevate architecture by creating ties with social scientists and policy experts. He continued to practice architecture while serving as dean, and his firm, Geddes Brecher Qualls Cunningham, designed several buildings including the Institute for Advanced Study, which received high praise for design reminiscent of Le Corbusier.

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This new loofah-like device can purify water using the power of the sun.

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Slime molds can offer insight into the vast possibilities of life on Earth.