This installment of my MOLIMU Influencers series is about one of the most creative and respected guys in today’s music and fashion scene: Pharrell Williams.
Williams, who started out as a hip hop
producer, has become a cultural phenomenon because he is willing to push
boundaries and never hesitates to try venture out into new fields and
directions. The label “music producer” is therefore not really fitting anymore
because he is that much more these days.
As designer of his fashion labels “Billionaire
Boys Club”, “Ice Cream” and his collaboration with Mark McNairy “Bee Line” have become staples in the fashion
industry because of their bold and colorful designs that serve as a connection
between elevated fashion and streetwear designs. He was voted as one of the most stylish men in
the world on numerous occasions and has been able to mix street influenced
pieces with high fashion. This has landed him first row seats at some of the
most prestigious fashion shows as well as editorial gigs Vogue. He has served
as brand ambassador for Luis Vuitton and is one of the few individuals that can
kick off trends just because people pay attention to everything he wears.
Currently he has been wearing customized Timberland boots which influenced an increase in Timberland
boots on the street right away. Another example would be the trend of wearing
flannel shirts around your waist which was inspired by the late 90s Grunge look
and is copied by rappers and models all over the place at the moment.
Next to fashion he has made quite the name for
himself in the art world. As a collector he sports one of the most impressive
collections of contemporary art such as large Kaws pictures or pieces by
Takashi Murakami. Both artists have
emerged extremely fast and Pharrell supported them quite early. By now he has designed multiple art pieces
himself and has collaborated on furniture as well.
One of his newest ventures is an Internet video
platform called “OTHERS” which consists of multiple shows that cover an
extensive range of subjects. From DIY to comedy to lifestyle talks and fashion,
Williams has created genre-specific shows that are pretty entertaining. He was
even able to include the fantastic Nardwuar into the network who is now
interviewing artists for the OTHERS network in his typical weird but extremely informative
way.
Finally he is and always was one of the
greatest producers and musicians of the our time. He has been able to create
genre-bending music for quite some time now and has collaborated with some of
the greatest artists in music. I still remember how I stumbled upon the first
album from his band N*E*R*D and bought it without even really knowing what type
of music it was. To this day, the album is one of my favorites and I haven’t
really found any other band that was able to create a connection between rap
and rock music in such an appealing way. His production has shaped the modern music
scene and I am sure that some of the
music that is so popular today wouldn’t have been able without Pharrell
Williams breaking musical barriers.
I was always inspired by his funny and somewhat
strange persona because he has always kept a nearly childish enthusiasm while
becoming increasingly insightful and wise.
I think that this was also the key for his success: he has always
believed in the artists he worked with and has supported talent which eventually
earned him both respect and a reputation as being “in-the-know”.
Without the
creative genius of Pharrell Williams my iTunes library would probably be
half as big and life would have been less-colorful, therefore I think he
deserves a big “Thank You”.
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