It’s almost a century old and was inspired by an era infatuated with speed and cars. Now, it’s on Rihanna’s arms and is the flag-bearer for Pharrell’s first collection with Louis Vuitton. Gaston-Louis Vuitton, grandson of the maison’s founder, created the Speedy in 1930 for men. However, it was a woman—Audrey Hepburn—who catapulted it to global stardom when she carried the re-launched Monogram canvas variant, launched in 1959.
The Speedy first caught Pharrell’s eye at Canal Street at Lower Manhattan, New York City. Most know it as the mecca of knock-off goods, but the vibrant location is also the gateway to a smorgasbord of cultural influences that include SoHo, TriBeCa and Little Italy. It’s where Pharrell received his early education about the world. This busy street informed his take on the new Speedy, the centrepiece of his SS24 menswear vision. Incidentally, the Speedy is one of the first luxury bags Pharrell owned.
The classic trapezoid lines remain, but Pharrell has rendered the bag in supple grained calf leather, then lining it with lambskin. The softer construction lets the bottom collapse, allowing you to carry it under your armpit. Pharrell also expanded the Speedy’s universe, creating nine sizes and several colours including yellow, red and blue.
Pharrell’s selection of Rihanna is nuanced. A Barbadian pregnant celebrity shot in a menswear campaign for a French maison steeped in heritage, currently helmed creatively by an African-American creative multi-hyphenate? It’s the perfect melting pot.
And in tandem with Pharrell’s gender shifting codes, we can envision the new Speedy being carried by anyone.
