Yahoo Lifestyle Pharrell Williams and Nigo’s Joopiter Dinner in Paris Brings Out Rap Stars, Artists and Designers
PARIS — One day after showing their fall collection for Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams and Nigo joined forces again to host a dinner during Paris Men’s Fashion Week celebrating an auction of rare collectibles from their personal archives.
Guests including Pusha T, Travis Scott, ASAP Nast, Takashi Murakami, Eric Nam, Rowoon and Im Si-wan braved pouring rain to gather at chef Nobu’s Matsuhisa restaurant at the Royal Monceau Raffles Paris hotel to toast the duo, who were already chowing down at the table of honor as guests arrived.
More from WWD
The sale organized by Joopiter, the auction platform that Williams launched in 2022, features some of the items that were presented in glass display cases on the Vuitton runway, in a fresh convergence between the entertainer’s various ventures.
“This is like a dream come true for us,” said Caitlin Donovan, head of global sales at Joopiter.
The items included a brown version of Williams’ signature Vivienne Westwood Buffalo hat; a Jacob & Co. gemstone necklace estimated at $800,000 to $1 million, and a set of multicolored plastic ice cream cones created to celebrate the opening of the duo’s Billionaire Boys Club store in Japan in 2006.
The dual “Nigo Knows” and “Pharrell Knows Too” sales, which run from Friday until Feb. 5, also offer a glimpse of Nigo’s passion for collecting everything from Goyard monogram canvas items to vintage Beatles posters and jewelry by cult Japanese designer Goro Takahashi.
Pusha T walked in Williams’ debut show for Vuitton and was named an ambassador of the French luxury house in July. “It’s a great feeling in just how LV has really opened their doors and opened their resources up to me,” he said.
“It’s just been super strong watching just how open they are to the legacy of what we’ve all been a part of for, I guess it’s 25 years now, with Pharrell, Nigo, and just everything we’ve been putting in, all the influence and all the different things we’ve been putting into the fashion space. It’s great to see it come to fruition,” he added.
The “Nosetalgia” rapper has just put the finishing touches to Clipse’s first album in 15 years, produced by Williams. What can fans of the duo expect? “Oh man, more incredible, full-body, cohesive, lyric-driven hip-hop,” he said.
It turns out Pusha T is also a collector, though his obsession is Rolex watches (he has more than 20 at last count). “My favorite is usually my newest, which is the platinum presidential with sapphires. I’m actually wearing it,” he said, pushing up his sleeve to reveal his glittering Day-Date timepiece.
Scott has been cooking up a new fashion venture of his own. The “Sicko Mode” rapper’s Cactus Jack label has collaborated with Nike on a new golf collection, which was previewed at the third edition of the annual Celebrity Golf Classic hosted by Reggie Jackson’s Mr. October Foundation and the Cactus Jack Foundation.
Scott has hit the links with everyone from professional golfer Brooks Koepka to fellow aficionado Mark Wahlberg, and has decided to do something about the golf dad outfits he’s been seeing.
“I’m into something more fire for the dads, because, like, I’m a dad too,” he said, referring to Stormi and Aire Webster, his children with ex Kylie Jenner. “I’ve just been working for the last couple of years and just figuring out, like, the ill technology that they use on a day-to-day basis, and just trying to match it with cool design.”
Manny Jacinto was fresh off shooting “Love Language,” a romantic comedy costarring Chloë Grace Moretz, and will be seen this summer in the eagerly awaited “Freaky Friday” sequel “Freakier Friday” alongside the stars of the 2003 version of the film, Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.
He was doing his best to keep details of his role under wraps. “If you do some research online, Jamie may have spilled some things that she shouldn’t have spilled, so let’s say: ‘love interest,’” he said.
“From what I’ve been hearing from our director and producers, it’s testing really well, and people are really liking it. I think it’s a good ode and testament to the old ‘Freaky Friday,’ but at the same time having its own twist,” he continued.
He paid tribute to residents battling the wildfires in Los Angeles, which have caused widespread destruction and killed at least 27 people. “It’s a wild time there right now, and just like thinking about that movie and that experience just brings me a lot of gratitude because we were able to do it during that time before all this really happened,” he said.
Jacinto planned to take in the Hermès and Sacai shows in Paris before plotting his next steps. The Filipino Canadian actor, who played The Stranger in the “Star Wars” series “The Acolyte,” would love to star in a period piece and hopes to bring his own projects to the big screen.
“There’s some Filipino stories that I’m trying to produce and get made,” he said.
French artist JR, meanwhile, was gearing up for an exhibition in London to mark the opening of Emmanuel Perrotin’s first gallery there. It will feature work from his “Déplacé∙e∙s” project which highlights people in crisis zones and refugee camps.
“It’s a project that I’ve been doing for years and that I continue to carry out all around the world. There was an exhibition in Stockholm which has just ended and so I am very happy to open one in London in March,” he said.
Among the lots in the Joopiter sale were so-called “mystery boxes” from Murakami, Futura 2000 and Daniel Arsham.
“Recently, we were looking through the archive of Nigo. There were some pieces that were unopened that were gifted to him many years ago,” Donovan explained. “It’s a mystery what’s in them, and so that was the idea. I love the concept of these inspirational, influential artists, but not knowing what it is.”
Asked what his boxes contained, Murakami gave a shrug and said he didn’t know. “That’s why ‘mystery,’” he said with a laugh.
Launch Gallery: Inside the Joopiter Dinner at Paris Men's Fashion Week 2025
Best of WWD
From the Archive: A Look Back at Marc Jacobs Annual Holiday Party [PHOTOS]
A Look Back at LACMA Art + Film Gala Best Dressed Red Carpet Stars
Sign up for WWD's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
