World shopping: Pharell Williams Debuts First Collection at G-Star RAW

Pharrell Williams certainly boasts a Midas touch and his latest collaboration with cutting-edge clothing __brand G-Star RAW hits the perfect note. The music impresario became co-owner of the Dutch denim label in 2016 and joined as Head of Imagination, charged with the simple task of pushing the boundaries to create new product ideas and __brand experiences.

“We’re genuinely excited to reimagine the future of denim together,” a spokesperson said, and Pharrell’s new capsule collection has already exceeded expectations. The G-Star Elwood X25 collection, which launches on 16 February, is based around G-Star’s much-loved Elwood jeans. First launched 20 years ago, designer Pierre Morisset pioneered the “3D Denim” approach to create jeans that followed the leg’s curve when riding a motorcycle; boasting knee patches, shaping knee darts, saddle patch, heel guards and slanted thigh seams. Still deeply iconic today, at the time the jeans represented a revolutionary way of thinking about how clothes fit, so it’s no surprise this is the line Pharrell chose to take to a whole new level.

The new collection uses innovative 3D technology, and offers vibrant style, sheer originality and off-the-wall sartorial choices – much like the musician himself. In Pharrell’s own words, “The 25 prints are an expression of true creativity. They give everyone the freedom to choose for themselves and, by doing so, empower them to decide who they want to be and what they want to wear.”

The pieces are rich in colour and range from bright red plaid to multi-coloured camo, restrained navy pinstripe to chinoiserie patterns in red and blue. If you’re drawn to black and white, however, you won’t be disappointed: his monochrome pieces feature a bold block stripe, pinstripe, as well as chequered and geometric patterns. Pharrell himself models the jeans in the urban/rural ad campaign, alongside Dutch model Marte Mei van Haaster, which was conceived by Ronnie Cooke Newhouse (of House + Holme fame) and shot by Lukas Wassmann.