The ‘Symbolic Globe’ of Paris’ Maison de l'UNESCO provided the centre point of Pharrell Williams’ third collection for Louis Vuitton, an as-ever bombastic showcase of the multi-hyphenate’s expansive vision for the French house which saw him make a plea for global unity. ‘Le monde est à vous,’ is the slogan which ran throughout, translating to, ‘the world is yours’.
The minimal sculpture, conceived by Danish civil engineer Erik Reitzel in 1995, comprises 10,000 rods and joints of aluminium and depicts the globe as a vast spherical grid. Surrounded by the flags of the UNESCO nations – this evening fluttering in the breeze as the grey Paris skies threatened a downpour – it was originally constructed in Copenhagen, Denmark to symbolise the web of worldwide connections that UNESCO represents.
