Pharrell Williams unveiled the Louis Vuitton SS27 collection just in time for Paris Fashion Week. One particular pair was a skate-inspired shoe that looks almost identical to a £55 pair of Vans Authentics—except it's covered in red crocodile skin and is expected to cost north of £900.
The shoe is the Louis Vuitton Combi, a skate-inspired silhouette that was previewed for Spring/Summer 2027. It features a red crocodile-textured finish, a flat vulcanised sole, contrast white laces, and gold Louis Vuitton-branded hardware on the tongue and heel.
Objectively, it's a stunning piece. However, when you place it next to classic Vans Authentics, the similarities are hard to miss. Both share that low-cut design and classic board-shoe proportions. The biggest difference is the price tag. A pair of Vans Authentics will set you back £55.
Vans Didn't Stay Quiet
Shortly after Pharrell previewed the shoes on social media, Vans playfully responded with: 'ohhhh bet.' Those two words sparked a commotion online, even prompting Tyler, the creator, to chime in. The majority of the comments under the post were on Vans' side, stating that the design is unoriginal and that they miss the late Virgil Abloh, who was the Creative Director for LV.
Then Vans posted a photo of their own red Authentic on Instagram with a caption that further heated the discourse. 'Wanna know the time? Better clock us.' If that sounds familiar, it's because it's a reference to Mr William's own lyric.
The Lyric That Made It Personal
The caption is a direct quote from Clipse's 2006 track 'Mr. Me Too'. It's a song Pharrell co-produced as part of The Neptunes and appeared on as a featured artist.
The situation playing out is not far from the song's premise. 'Mr. Me Too' is a braggadocio track where the rappers boast about their fashion and style whilst publicly denouncing imitators. Pusha T described its target as someone who 'sits there and examines your style and takes a piece of it'. The lyric immediately following Vans' chosen caption reads: 'N**gas bite the style from the shoes to the watches.'
Isn't it ironic? Pharrell co-wrote a song mocking a famous person for copying someone else's aesthetic. He is now being accused of doing exactly that via his own catalogue on a global stage.
Does Tyler Have a Point?
Pharrell's frequent collaborator Tyler, the Creator, jumped to his defence in an Instagram comment, arguing in all caps that the deck shoe silhouette predated Vans, citing Pro-Keds and Converse as predecessors. Technically, he's not wrong. However, the fact that the shoe is called 'Combi', which also happens to be the name of the Vans Combi Bowl — the gold standard of pool skateboarding — makes it seem like this was not at all coincidental.
Luxury fashion has always borrowed freely from working-class subcultures and dressed the result in crocodile skin. The debate is whether Pharrell, a man who has spent decades building credibility as Skateboard P, needed to go this route at all. Vans won this round without getting a single lawyer involved.
