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Pharrell Williams is officially the first Black man to serve as major fashion house Louis Vuitton’s creative director, but he’s already facing some challenges. Williams debuted his first collection in Paris with special runway appearances from Pusha T and Malice, along with a performance from Jay-Z. But on the heels of the show, a designer is speaking out and accusing Williams of stealing her concept and using it for his collection.
Kellie Ford made a post on Tik Tok alleging that Williams copied her 2021 Louis Vuitton shopping concept, which went viral and garnered more than 10 million views. In the video, Ford takes a regular classic Louis Vuitton shopping bag and turns it into a purse.
Ford posted several parts to the accusation story and expressed that her goal isn’t to sue Williams, but to address the principle of the matter.
According to The Jasmine Brand, she explains, “It ain’t about suing, it ain’t about infringement. The thing is they took the concept … The concept is the same. The concept is, the bag being a normal paper bag being worn at leisure. That’s what they did. They took the concept of the bag … It’s the concept, not the actual bag itself.”
Williams has yet to respond to Ford’s claims, and it’s unclear if he plans to release any statement.
