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This is Why Pharrell Williams is Thanking Chanel

In an iconic first, the house of Chanel has collaborated with American rapper and singer, Pharrell Williams to create a capsule collection for SS19. The “Happy” singer began his partnership with Chanel back in 2014 and announced the collaboration at the brand’s Cruise 2018-19 runway show held in Bangkok, Thailand.

Channeling the spirit of street art and the aesthetics of graffiti, clothing items in the collection feature a rainbow color palette and embroidered patches of Chanel references in Pharrell’s hand-writing like CC, N°5 and Coco. Inspired by streetwear, the collection comprises of color-blocked t-shirts, short and long robes as well as sneakers with mismatched laces and loafers. Printed on the back of the long-sleeved t-shirts is Pharrell’s memory of a bet he made with a friend who predicted his future collaboration with Chanel.

The accessories department is covered too with rhinestoned costume jewelry, suede hip packs, terrycloth bucket hats, and leather belts. Like most pieces in the collection, the colorful rectangular and round-shaped sunglasses are also printed with the words “Chanel Pharrell”

In the exclusive behind-the-scenes video of the short film campaign, Pharrell expresses his feelings for the fashion house. “Gabrielle Chanel, Coco, didn’t see partitions. And it’s interesting because neither did the brand when it came to giving me a shot. They didn’t see partitions. But they’re not afraid of these things. Just like she wasn’t afraid. There don’t need to be boundaries. As long as you can hold on to the heritage, and continue to push it like Karl always does, we don’t need walls; we need bridges.” 

The collection will launch on March 28 by Williams at the opening of Chanel’s new boutique in Seoul, South Korea and will be available at certain Chanel boutiques worldwide from April 5.

Read Next: Hermès is Venturing into the Beauty Business. Here’s What That Means for the Luxury Industry

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