There was a time when designers were hired because of their expertise, creativity and craftsmanship, responsible for designing fashion. But in some fashion houses, that no longer seems to be the main criterion.
From Virgil Abloh’s outstanding work at Louis Vuitton, to Pharrell Williams as Abloh’s successor, all the way to Jaden Smith, who is currently working at Christian Louboutin; the role of a Creative Director has visibly changed over the last few years. To me, it increasingly feels as though cultural relevance, dominant media presence and the embodiment of a striking personality have become just as valuable to fashion houses as actual design expertise.
More than anyone else, Virgil Abloh was largely responsible for the transformation of creative directors within the fashion cosmos. He blurred the lines between music, architecture, high fashion and streetwear and managed to make luxury feel more accessible and relevant to a younger generation. Unlike some of his successors, Abloh did not enter the fashion world as a celebrity, but as a creative with a completed Master’s degree in architecture and a deeply rooted interest in design and fashion as a form of personal expression.
Before starting in 2018 as the artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear ready-to-wear line, he already had an impressive résumé. After interning at Fendi and working as Creative Director at Donda (Kanye West’s creative agency), he built his own streetwear brand Off-White (formerly Pyrex in 2012) from 2013 onwards, which stood out because of its unmistakable fashion language. By 2017 at the latest, he achieved worldwide cultural fame through the Off-White x Nike collection called The Ten.
However, his authority never originated from his fame. Quite the opposite. He convinced people through his intellect, his concepts, design ideas, references and his massive impact on the scene, which also continued during his time at Louis Vuitton. In many ways, he was less of a traditional designer and much more of a cultural thinker and pioneer who managed to translate fashion internet culture into luxury fashion. And successfully so.
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The recent past shows that there are also other examples: By the time Pharrell was appointed Creative Director of Louis Vuitton menswear in 2023, he was already a global superstar, entrepreneur and cultural institution. His appointment immediately generated headlines, online discussion and massive visibility, long before the first collection for Louis Vuitton even appeared. And that is exactly why it worked.
Pharrell’s value to luxury fashion extends beyond clothing itself. He brings audience reach, community, network, lifestyle and instant recognizability. His appointment made business sense before it made fashion sense. In many ways, Pharrell represents the moment where celebrity itself became part of the qualification.
This realization should in no way diminish his creativity or his understanding of fashion. Besides his music career, which has now lasted for decades, Pharrell has also built quite a lot within fashion itself. Alongside the brands Billionaire Boys Club & Ice Cream, which he founded in 2003, he also collaborated with the brand A Bathing Ape as well as Chanel for which he co-developed the Capsule Collection in 2019. He also designed the iconic 1.0 Millionaire sunglasses line for Louis Vuitton hand in hand with Nigō in 2004 and distributes the Humanrace clothing line through Adidas. And all of this is only a fraction of what Williams has already worked on and with whom. One could think his days have more than 24 hours.
Louis Vuitton found not only a very good designer and honorable successor to Virgil Abloh in Pharrell Williams, but also an all-around creative workaholic with an exceptional understanding of business. That shift says everything about how luxury fashion operates today. Brands increasingly function like media companies competing for attention in an oversaturated digital landscape. The modern creative director is expected not only to design collections, but to generate cultural conversation. Visibility itself has become a form of creative capital.
It becomes especially obvious when looking at Jaden Smith, who has officially been working as Creative Director of the menswear collections at Louboutin since September last year. He is certainly an example of where the model of a celebrity creative director reaches its limits and rightly raises questions about his true qualities. Yes, he is the son of Will Smith, one of the most famous actors in the world. But what else?
Jaden is unfortunately the definition of a Nepo baby. A person who enjoys from birth the privileges provided by influential, successful and famous parents. Something I initially view without judgment because Nepo babies are by no means a rarity within the fashion industry. Looking at figures like Miuccia Prada, who took over the creative direction of Prada in the late 1970s after her mother stepped away from the business, the five Fendi sisters, who officially entered the family company in 1964 and helped transform it into one of Italy’s most influential luxury houses, or Donatella Versace, who became chief designer of Versace in 1997 following the death of her brother and the brand’s founder Gianni Versace. Inherited influence has long been embedded within fashion itself. Nevertheless, Jaden Smith stands apart, and not only because, unlike the examples mentioned above, he did not inherit a fashion legacy. I simply ask myself with which qualities he can truly convince in the position of a creative director, because unlike Virgil Abloh as well as Pharrell Williams, Jaden Smith arrives without a clearly defined creative body of work that would traditionally justify such a position.
Yes, he has acted in several well-known and successful films, often however merely alongside his father. But his acting career does not extend much further than that. Additionally, unlike Virgil Abloh for example, he neither has an academic background in fashion or design nor has he already led his own fashion brand. His once promising music career has also become somewhat stagnant. So why exactly Jaden Smith?
Jaden is definitely a recognizable face within Gen Z, there is no question about that. Perhaps this is simply an attempt to bring a brand like Louboutin, or at least its menswear division, closer to a younger generation again and give it some spice. However, everything surrounding the announcement of his new position felt to me much more as if Jaden Smith were a brand ambassador or the new face of the brand, while his actual design abilities seemed far less central. But he has not even been in the position for a full year yet, so time will tell what the future brings and to what extent he will be able to convince people. One thing is certain though: Louboutin definitely got people talking through this move. And whether positive or negative, publicity is publicity.
But even though the relevance of a Creative Director’s external and media image is becoming increasingly important, there still seems to be a considerable number of exceptions. Because not every luxury house is moving in this direction: Brands like Dior under Jonathan Anderson, Bottega Veneta under Louise Trotter, Schiaparelli under Daniel Roseberry or Chanel under Matthieu Blazy continue to build relevance through craftsmanship, silhouette and strong creative authorship rather than celebrity status. Their influence comes not from pre-existing fame, but from creating distinct visual worlds.
A certain contrast is emerging within the fashion world. On the one hand, there are brands with a visibility-driven celebrity culture, and on the other hand, there are expertise-driven design authorities. The question is no longer whether celebrities belong in fashion, because they already do. The more interesting question is what fashion now considers creative authority in the first place.
In an age where media presence and attention are more important than ever, the pure design of clothing often plays a subordinate role. It is the creation and maintenance of cultural visibility and relevance that keeps brands alive. And this works through various channels and aesthetics. Ultimately, every brand has to find out for itself which approach works best for its business and legacy. Because the question is no longer whether visibility has become a form of creative capital, but whether visibility alone is enough to remain relevant in the long term.