Pharrell’s “i am OTHER” collection has arrived.
On April 28, Pharrell Williams attended the launch for his “i am OTHER” collection for Japanese retailer Uniqlo. The intimate event was held at the Uniqlo store on Fifth Avenue. The UT collection was proudly on display on the second floor of the store.
When we asked Williams the highlight of collaborating with Uniqlo he said, “There’s so many, there’s a quality with the material that they use, they have a great reputation, they are ubiquitous in a really tasteful way, they teamed up with somebody I admire on a high level, which is Mr. NIGO San.”
NIGO is Uniqlo’s first creative director for the UT brand. Williams posed for photos with NIGO on the red carpet and he posed for pictures in front of his collection. He also autographed a few of his t-shirts.
The men’s and women’s shirts feature messages like: “Unlike Any Other,” “The Same Is Lame,” “That Which Makes You Different Is What Makes You Special.” Pharrell also designed baseball caps to complement the looks.
André Leon Talley attended the event to support his friend. He said he admires Pharrell because of “his ability to transcend all age generational gaps, all cultures and gives to the global universe something magical and inspirational not only in music, but fashion and art as well.”
Vashtie was also in attendance. She contributed some ideas to the collection. “I was asked to come up with some ideas that represent what being ‘other’ is and so I just came up with some random designs … especially with my background growing up being the awkward different girl in my neighborhood and that represented and celebrated what being other meant.” One shirt which was personal to her was the one pictured to the left because when she was younger, she would have to check off her ethnicity on various applications and she would always check “other” because she is Trinidadian of African and Indian ancestry.
