The ‘Pharrell’ Gremlin:

THE MYTH OF PHARRELL

Is it weird that someone can have a ghostly-like presence without passing over yet? So this weekend, I, along with the ten thousand other Gremlins, flocked to the Moncler show in West London to experience an ode to the commercialisation of art (my words, not theirs). And boy-oh-boy, it did not disappoint. The experience was crazy; it was like a Beyonce concert made love to a MoMA exhibition and popped out an art baby in the middle of London.

What I loved the most about the Moncler extravaganza was the alchemy of people it brought together; the room was filled with creative directors, hungry young artists, world celebs and everyone who stood for the cross-over between art, music and fashion. And who better than Pharrell Williams to front the line up as the trophy figure of the Renaissance artist?

As I stood next to Hayley & Justin Bieber and their 6ft bodyguards, I had to pinch myself; this is what art can summon - from the billionaires to the broken, there was one word on everyone's lips. P H A R R E L L. Where is the maverick? Will he be the secret performer? “I travelled hours to come here just to be in his orbit”, I overheard, and I shared the same excitement. I love everything Pharrell does, and this month he became creative director at LV made me in awe of his trajectory even more.

‘If the Rhianna bowl hadn’t convinced you yet, then Pharrell at Louis Vuitton surely will: The lines between media, entertainment and business aren’t just blurred, they no longer exist’. This, the opening quote from a 1granary post, perfectly summarises the frenzy we have built around renaissance art icons who have greedily gobbled up all of the creative professions that their talents can consume. And rightly so.

I’ve traced Pharrell’s career since the N.E.R.D days, watching his evolution from music and fashion in Bathing Ape & Billionaire Boys Club to working with Architects, artists, and beauty brands. Now, his appointment as creative director at Louis Vuitton.

I think this is why we adore artists like Pharrell so much; they seem unstoppable and mirror the potential of being a creative polymath. But this has to start somewhere, right? The breadth of talent that Pharrell can now show us had to be rooted in one discipline before others could genuinely appreciate it. Would Pharrell be at Louis Vuitton now if it weren’t for his music? No, I doubt it.

During the Moncler night, P finally made his appearance. I got WhatsApps of him in the corridor donned in Tiffany superstar glasses, surrounded by his security, but I left the event before he walked the room. I wasn’t interested enough to stick around for a possibility to glimpse at him because I had the art to make and new friends to create with. I needed to go there; with the other Gremlins and soak in the show's excitement and get my creative juice.

Although we didn’t meet that night, the spirit of Pharrell has followed me for three decades. To many Gremlins, Pharrell symbolises spirituality, creativity, and authentic commercialism.

I can’t help but think that, as with Virgil, when Pharrell dies, we’ll sing and glorify his name. “Oh, someone who broke into the system”, we will say, because he shows us the Gremlin path. So we walk our wild, intuitively delicious creative calling one by one, knowing that someone like Pharrell gave us the blueprint.

Thank you to the ghost, echoes and whispers of Pharrell. The myth lives on.