Louis Vuitton launches the LV Buttersoft trainer from Pharrell Williams

There are trainers and then there are Louis Vuitton trainers. In fact, there are LV Buttersoft Trainers, the new style from Pharrell Williams introduced during the house’s Autumn/Winter 2025 show. A manifesto in footwear, they are emblematic of the menswear creative director’s design viewpoint that blends streetwear and dandyism with a luxury sensibility, adding a sense of relaxed refinement that is both personal and playful – itself a layering of global cultural references alongside niche, insider codes that are designed to be cracked.

Formed by Louis Vuitton’s Italian artisans using supremely supple leather, from which the LV Buttersoft takes its name, the pillowy shape is anchored by a rubber sole dotted with the ‘grain de riz’ texture of the house’s Damier pattern. As an expression of the history of streetwear, the LV Buttersoft has it all. Not only does it echo the first sportswear sneakers that transitioned into our everyday wardrobes with the 1960s’ loosening of fashion protocols, but it also mirrors the inflated footwear popularised by noughties hip-hop artists, where a sneaker’s proportions were oversized, never slim.

In recent years, with dress codes further deconstructed – or, at least, more open to interpretation – versatility is key to any shoe that enters your style rotation. Coming in 24 colourways and compositions, the LV Buttersoft could be reinterpreted whenever and wherever. Popping brights, classic neutrals or pastels with hand-painted contrast ‘bruni’ edges, feature throughout. And, naturally, a handful come adorned with vibrant variations of the Louis Vuitton monogram, each one finished with leather detailing lifted straight from the house’s famed leather goods. So good he put his face on it, the tongue of the trainer also includes a ‘Phriendsip’ stamp: a silhouette of Pharrell Williams’ side profile.

And finally, there’s an ‘Easter egg’ treat just for the wearer. Hidden on the back of the shoe is an embossed lobster – a motif that recalls a shared memory of the men’s creative director and his long-time collaborator, Nigo. As ever with Pharrell’s designs, if you know, you know.