Louis Vuitton ’s Millionaires sunglasses have been reimagined through the creative lens of Pharrell Williams . The uber-stylish multi-hyphenate, who currently serves as the French fashion house’s men’s creative director , has updated the now somewhat retro shades in celebration of their 20th anniversary. It is something of a full circle moment for the designer as he created the original Millionaires in the early 2000s.
Louis Vuitton, then under the creative direction of Marc Jacobs, invited Williams and Japanese fashion designer Nigo of Kenzo fame to collaborate on a pair of sunglasses in 2004. The resulting shades, described as “one part Tony Montana, one part The Notorious B.I.
G.,” featured a classic aviator silhouette and glitzy metal strips stamped with iconic LV symbols. They quickly became a staple in hip-hop circles, proving that Pharrell and Nigo had cracked the code in combining music and streetwear with luxury fashion.
The new sunglasses showcase two fresh frame shapes: The 1.0 Millionaires closely reinterprets the original, while the 3.0 Millionaires is a sleeker, more contemporary style.
The 1.0 is available in two colorways: chocolate tortoise with gradient lenses and gold details or monochromatic black with aged gold accents. Both pairs closely mirror the 2004 design.
The 3.0 is quite a departure from the original shades. Each pair will be made in Italy from the same highly resistant, flexible, and lightweight carbon fiber that is used widely in the au.