Louis Vuitton's Men's Creative Director Pharrell Williams is shifting his focus from Paris to New York for the PreFall 2026 collection. The lineup centers on Central Park, using the iconic urban green space as inspiration for a wardrobe that captures different aspects of city life and the people who inhabit it.

The collection explores what Williams calls a "microcosm of park life," pulling from the activities and characters that define Central Park: tennis players, skaters, families spending the day outdoors, and people simply wandering through. The result is a range of clothing that reflects the lightness and energy of summer in the city, designed around the idea that Central Park represents a multicultural meeting point where different communities intersect.

Pre-Dandyism and Park Prep

Williams introduces a concept he's calling "pre-dandyism" throughout the collection, a youthful take on the refined dandy aesthetic that Louis Vuitton has historically explored. This approach mixes heritage suiting with a more relaxed, boyish sensibility. Instead of formal perfection, the looks embrace a lived-in quality, as if the clothes have been inherited or casually thrown together from contrasting wardrobe staples.

The first chapter of the collection, labeled "Customized Classics," reimagines menswear essentials with lightweight construction. A tonal Prince of Wales Monogram check appears on a technical hooded blouson paired with matching trousers, creating a modern interpretation of a suit. Dark blue denim coach jackets come with Monogram-lined trousers, while the Monogram Surplus pattern shows up across indigo denim pieces including short-sleeved shirts, skater shorts, and workwear jackets.

Track jackets are crafted from mixed materials, and several pieces reverse into Monogram micro-check nylon. The collection includes paint-splattered denim pieces that nod to New York's young artist community, reflected in Azure Damier-patterned garments decorated with bright blue polka dots.

Summer-Centric Wardrobe

The second chapter transitions into what Louis Vuitton describes as "summertime suave," with lighter fabrics and more relaxed silhouettes suited for warm weather. Light tailoring includes a brick-colored, half-lined linen suit and a navy linen double-breasted shirt mixed with loungewear elements like short-sleeved shirts and boxer shorts. Some pieces feature striped silk jacquard with subtle Monogram effects.

The Monogram appears in various interpretations throughout this section: integrated into stripes on track jackets and t-shirts, patchworked into check shorts, and rendered in pastel tones on jacquard cotton-poplin shirts. Raffia-inspired Damier patterns show up on blousons, cardigans, and a hand-crocheted polo shirt. Outerwear captures an artist's sensibility with pieces like a collarless cotton jacket with rope trims and a khaki suede blouson.

Bags and Accessories

The bag collection reimagines classic Louis Vuitton silhouettes in new materials and patterns. The Monogram Surplus gets applied to bag icons and hard-sided pieces in beige coated canvas, along with the voluminous Uptown Tote in khaki. A Surplus Patchwork motif combines magnified Monogram elements patched over a base of Monogram Surplus and natural canvas.

Monogram Grid bags in Damier-checkered canvas feature Classic Monogram with yellow lining visible through perforation. This treatment appears on the new Flaneur backpack, Shopper Tote, and Keepalls. A new washed-denim blue Damoflage pattern features on several bags including a Speedy 30 and hard-sided pieces. Raffia Damier bags come in sand or caramel with lobster, frog, or cowboy charms referencing mascots from previous collections.

Special items pay homage to park activities, particularly racket sports. These include a Classic Monogram canvas Keepall with two detachable tennis racket covers, a ping-pong racket crossbody bag, and racket-shaped charms. Milk carton bags appear in Classic Monogram canvas, and matcha-latte carton bags come in green leather as preppy references to park picnics.

Footwear and Jewelry

The shoe lineup focuses on versatility and comfort. The no-left-no-right LV Tilted sneaker appears in multiple versions including Damier-checkered raffia, paint-splattered canvas, patchwork denim, and Monogram Surplus. The LV Soft is a supple leather sneaker with an elastic ruched opening and elastic laces, featuring a perforated upper that echoes the leather goods in the collection.

The LV Jazz silhouette returns as a brown suede boat shoe, while the LV Flip sandal comes in black or brown smooth calf leather. The LV Buttersoft sneaker appears in mini Monogram nubuck and hairy suede, and the LV Trainer and LV Skate round out the footwear options.

Jewelry includes chain-like brass bracelets, necklaces, rings, and earrings engraved with Monogram elements. Brass necklaces feature keys and tags inspired by Louis Vuitton bag hardware. The LV Heritage Square sunglasses, which debuted in the Spring-Summer 2026 show, appear in five marble colors plus red and minty green pop shades. The LV Super Vision Metal sunglasses come in summery blue and camel.

Timepieces

Two emblematic Louis Vuitton watch collections appear in the PreFall lineup. The Tambour watch collection with its integrated bracelet comes in five sport-chic designs crafted in materials ranging from steel to gold. The Escale watch collection reinterprets historical trunk codes with lugs and indexes inspired by brass brackets and corners, plus a dial echoing canvas and lozine.

The LVERS Ideology

Williams frames the collection around what Louis Vuitton calls the "LVERS ideology," using Central Park as a representation of a diverse global community connected by shared values. The park's multicultural nature, stretching from the Upper East Side into Harlem, serves as a metaphor for how Louis Vuitton's iconography can connect different people through creativity, quality, and discernment.

The Doudou Louis plushy, dressed in Williams' favorite logo jumper, serves as the collection's spirit animal. An Easter egg detail includes a Central Park bird embossed under the metal corners of bags, a small nod to the collection's inspiration.

The PreFall 2026 collection represents Williams' continued evolution of Louis Vuitton menswear, balancing the house's heritage with a more relaxed, contemporary approach to luxury dressing.