Star-filled Louis Vuitton show unveils East-meets-West streetwear in collaboration with Kenzo

PARIS (AP) — Celebrities including Bradley Cooper squeezed into Louis Vuitton Tuesday night as the brand transformed the Louvre’s historic heart into a stunning stage for streetwear at Paris Fashion Week.

Outside, limousines clogged the roads, and the crush of onlookers led to tense moments of crowd squishing at the entrance.

Inside, the drama continued with Hitchcockian flourishes, as an orchestra set the tone for Pharrell Williams’ latest menswear collection for LV, the crown jewel of conglomerate, LVMH.

This season, Pharrell teamed up with Nigo, the creative force behind Kenzo, another LVMH brand, for a wrapped up dive into Japanese and street aesthetics.

Together, they blended Pharrell’s Americana-inspired flared pants and rugged denim with Nigo’s loose, preppy silhouettes and intricate Japanese craftsmanship, creating a harmonious fusion of East and West.

The streetwear-heavy collection, a bold fusion of cultures and styles, saw cherry blossom motifs adorning embroidered varsity jackets.

Pharrell’s now-signature rugged denim and flared pants were enhanced with a nod from Japanese-born Nigo in the form of traditional eastern stitching, shibori-inspired techniques, and street influences.

However, as visually dazzling as the collection was, there were occasional moments when the abundance of elements — loose Asiatic cropped pants alongside Western bombers or camo-inspired prints, for instance — felt divergent. There were, after all, two cooks working on this fashion broth.

Accessories were a highlight, with Speedy bags reimagined in new colorways — such as Sakura-pink.

The partnership between Pharrell and Nigo was described in program notes as “a symbiosis between an archivist and a point of reference.” Pharrell emphasized the importance of honoring Japanese artistry while staying true to Louis Vuitton’s legacy of craftsmanship. Nigo’s contribution added his signature preppy streetwear edge, balancing meticulous detail with playful touches that echoed his Kenzo aesthetic.

While rare, such collaborations aren’t without precedent. In 2021, Versace and Fendi made headlines with their ‘Fendace’ collection, a designer swap that showcased the creativity possible when two distinct visions collide.

The transformation of the Louvre’s oldest courtyard, the Cour Carree, into a futuristic runway added another layer of grandeur.

Dramatic lighting and stark white decor contrasted with the venue's classical architectural majesty, while large, glass-fronted boxes surrounding the circular stage lit up at the finale, unveiling archival Louis Vuitton pieces and underlining the house’s philosophy of blending tradition and innovation.

The suspenseful soundtrack, with its Hitchcockian tones, elevated the atmosphere to cinematic heights at the beginning, fusing into foot-tapping bass as the collection filed by.

Louis Vuitton’s VIP list reflected its vast cultural reach, with guests spanning the worlds of cinema, music and sports. Hollywood stars Adrien Brody and Bradley Cooper represented the silver screen, mingling with K-pop sensations J-Hope and Jackson Wang, who brought their global fanbase into the mix. From the music world, rap legends Travis Scott, J Balvin and Future added their edge, while basketball phenom Victor Wembanyama, who was seen tapping his foot to the music, showcased the connection to the athletic elite.

A man presents a suitcase as part of the men's Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2025-2026 collection, that was presented in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

A model wears a creation as part of the men's Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2025-2026 collection, that was presented in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Models wear creations as part of the men's Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2025-2026 collection, that was presented in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Pharrell Williams, right, walks with with Nigo, artistic designer for Kenzo, with who co-creates a collection, after the men's Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2025-2026 collection, that was presented in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Pharrell Williams, right, walks with with Nigo, artistic designer for Kenzo, with who co-creates a collection, after the men's Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2025-2026 collection, that was presented in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Models wear creations as part of the men's Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2025-2026 collection, that was presented in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Pharrell Williams reacts after the men's Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2025-2026 collection, that was presented in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

Pharrell Williams, right, walks with with Nigo, artistic designer for Kenzo, with who co-creates a collection, after the men's Louis Vuitton Fall-Winter 2025-2026 collection, that was presented in Paris, Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Clark Hunt was not quite 5 years old when he settled into his seat in Tulane Stadium beside his parents to watch the Kansas City Chiefs, the franchise his father had founded in the brazen days of the AFL, as they played the Minnesota Vikings in Super IV.

Hunt doesn't remember the game itself. But once in a while, photos will surface that he has never seen before.

“I do have a photo of me sitting with my parents in the stands, right? I think they were benches. It sort of looked like a corner,” said Hunt, now 59, who assumed control of the Chiefs when his father, the visionary Lamar Hunt, died in December 2006.

“I guess that shows you how things have changed,” Hunt said.

Indeed, it's a safe bet that Hunt and the rest of his family had comfortable seats in a luxury suite when the Chiefs faced the Eagles on Sunday at the Superdome. Led by Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, and with a celebrity fan base that includes Taylor Swift and Caitlin Clark, the Chiefs were chasing an unprecedented third consecutive Lombardi Trophy.

The fact was not lost on Hunt that they were trying to make history in the same city where they won their first Super Bowl with a 23-7 victory over the Vikings on Jan. 11, 1970. In fact, Hunt seemed to view the coincidence as something closer to kismet, a point that he underscored by pointing out that the Chiefs spent this week practicing at Tulane University.

“I hate to say I don't have any memories from that Super Bowl,” he said, "but getting to go to Tulane where we're training and being literally a stone's throw from the old stadium where we won Super Bowl IV is really special.

“I always think about my parents Super Bowl week,” Hunt added, “There's no way not to. But this one is going to be special.”

There's an argument to be made that nobody had a greater influence on the big game than Lamar Hunt.

The oil magnate was part of the “Foolish Club” that founded the AFL, back when they were being kept out of the NFL, and he was instrumental in the merger years later that ultimately brought the two professional football leagues together.

In a letter to NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle, Hunt mused about the pending title game, saying: “I have kiddingly called it the ‘Super Bowl,’ which obviously can be approved upon.” He was inspired by the must-have Christmas gift of the year that his wife, Norma, had gotten Clark Hunt and the rest of the kids: the Super Ball, made by toy company Wham-O.

Lamar Hunt regularly attended the Super Bowl, though he never saw his Chiefs play in it again. They wouldn't make it back until Andy Reid arrived in town, and Mahomes and Kelce helped Kansas City beat the 49ers in February 2020 — five full decades after they triumphed over the “Purple People Eaters” and the rest of the Vikings at Tulane Stadium.

Norma Hunt continued to attend the Super Bowl until her death in June 2023. At the time, she was one of four people — and the only woman — who had attended every game, beginning with the Chiefs' loss to the Packers on Jan. 15, 1967.

The Chiefs were back Sunday for the fifth time in six years. And they were chasing a threepeat against the Eagles, the team Kansas City beat a couple of years ago in Glendale, Arizona, to win the first of its back-to-back championships.

“I would say every Chiefs fan is spoiled, and that includes me, right? Because it has been such a special five or six years," Hunt told a small group of local reporters this week. “And I think we know we're spoiled because of the journey that it took to get to this point, and the five decades we went without getting back to the Super Bowl.”

This was the 11th time that New Orleans played host to the big game, tying Miami for the most of any city. The French Quarter had been packed all week with fans wearing Chiefs red and Eagles green, creating a kaleidoscope of Christmas colors stretching from Jackson Square to Canal Street, and bubbling all the way up to the Superdome.

The home of the Saints, and the de facto replacement for Tulane Stadium, was hosting the game for the eighth time.

“I don't think any of us really could have dreamed it being like this, and having the success we've had,” Clark Hunt said. “My dad would have loved it because in his heart, he was a fan — him and my mom were fans, first and foremost. And he would love it for our fans, because that was always a focus of his.”

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FILE - San Francisco 49ers cheerleaders perform during a power outage at the Superdome in the second half of the NFL Super Bowl XLVII football game between the 49ers and the Baltimore Ravens, in New Orleans, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

FILE - New Orleans Saints fans listen to the Goo Goo Dolls in front of the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans, Sept. 25, 2006, upon reopening for the New Orleans Saints' first game in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina struck more than a year earlier. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt holds the Lamar Hunt Trophy after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship NFL football game, Sunday, Jan. 26, 2025, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs owner Clark Hunt, wife Tavia Shackles Hunt, center, and daughter Gracie Hunt pose on the red carpet at the NFL Honors award show ahead of the Super Bowl 59 football game, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in New Orleans. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)