Louis Vuitton to host its first men’s prefall show in Hong Kong – can new creative director Pharrell Williams outdo his debut menswear collection from Paris Fashion Week?

That show, attended by the likes of Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Rihanna and Kim Kardashian, broke records by gaining more than 1 billion online views, according to figures provided by Louis Vuitton to fashion trade publication WWD, becoming a viral sensation.

Although Louis Vuitton has a long history with Hong Kong – it opened its first boutique in the Asian hub in 1979 and has held various exhibitions there – it has never hosted a fashion show in the city.

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In recent years, however, the city has lost some of its allure due to the double whammy of anti-government protests that began in 2019 and ended the following year, and protracted border closures that kept visitors away during the coronavirus pandemic.

Since borders reopened in late 2022 though, retail sales have significantly improved, especially in the prime retail area of Canton Road. Before the pandemic, the shopping thoroughfare was home to the best performing boutiques in the world for many luxury brands. Sales have returned to pre-pandemic levels for most stores located there, recent conversations with various global luxury CEOs revealed, due to an increase in tourist arrivals, although worries remain about the property crisis affecting the economy in China.

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The show is a clear sign of confidence in Hong Kong’s role as a regional travel and retail hub, and in the importance of China to Louis Vuitton and its parent company, LVMH, the world’s largest luxury group.

Multi-hyphenate Williams, who has found success in realms as disparate as hip-hop, skincare, jewellery and fashion, is a long-time fan of and frequent traveller to Hong Kong, which he most recently visited during the Art Basel fair to launch Joopiter, his digital auction house platform.

The Louis Vuitton men’s pre-fall 2024 show, which will no doubt attract a large number of high-profile guests and also provide a much-needed boost to the city’s hospitality industry, will be held in an undisclosed location that is expected to be just as spectacular as the Parisian bridge where Williams’ first show took place.