the 5 g̶a̶u̶d̶i̶e̶s̶t̶ coolest things Pharrell has ever owned
a look at some of the finest moments in pop culture materialism
I swear I don’t stan anyone but if I came close to anything like that with any celebrity, it’s Pharrell Williams. The super-producer turned creative director has donned many hats over the decades-long span of his career. Before he was a fixture of the Parisian fashion-set, he was a fixture for people like me- hoards of eclectic, eccentric urban youth in America. Pharrell (along with other musical acts affiliated with him at the time, like singer Kelis) was the physical embodiment of the type of person I was- adjacent to street culture without actually partaking in the dangerous parts of it but still at the end of the day…..just a very odd person. In short….he was everything! And he is the godfather of a lot of eccentric urban youth, quiet as it’s kept. (In fact, I think the only other person who eclipses me in my fandom of Pharrell is Tyler the Creator- that pretty much illustrates my point).
And before he caught the eye of LVMH and a global community of luxury shoppers, Pharrell had a ton of sartorial moments and holy grail items to his name- let’s go through a few of my favorites…..
(To be clear, this level of excess is no longer a flex for Pharrell (sorta) nor myself but you gotta understand, the world was a different place 20 years ago. We were still lingering in the wake of the pop culture era known as McBling and things weren’t as hyper-visible back then. Honestly, I can’t promise that I won’t acquire some eccentric expensive trinkets myself when it’s my time, but I probably will keep it in the groupchat.)
the solid gold BlackBerry phone
Also honorable mention to Pharrell’s gilded Sony PSP. (Sidebar: somewhere in here is a conversation worth having about the futility of tricking out tech devices because of their planned obsolescence, but that’s for another day.)
Anyone who was anyone had themselves a BlackBerry. No matter what you actually did for a living, your BlackBerry made you think you had the power to run a small boutique PR firm at the very least. Pharrell took this pre-iPhone status symbol to the next level, partnering with ‘Jacob the Jeweler’ to encase his BlackBerry 8700 in 18K yellow gold. And as someone who had a BlackBerry at this time, if I had the money and the audacity back then I probably would have at least splurged on some Swarovski embellishments. Yes, the phone was THAT legendary. What a time to be alive.
the jewel encrusted G-Shock watch
Pharrell and Jacob the Jeweler conspired once again to take something utilitarian and take it to the next level. Behold….the jewel encrusted Casio G-Shock watch. (And this is just 1 of them….Pharrell also had another made in 18K yellow gold because, duh. Haven’t you been listening?) G-Shocks were mainly designed with the purpose of being functional for people in sports, military and a generally active lifestyle. At some point it became an aesthetic symbol of skater culture and then with Pharrell bridging the gap, it spilled over into general hip hop/urban culture. And it was not enough to simply encase the front of the watch with 18K white gold and diamonds…..the back of the watch was also fitted with Pharrell’s album artwork from his debut studio album, ‘In My Mind’.
And in keeping with his new lease on life and being less loud with his material possessions, the watches were sold on Pharrell’s virtual auction house ‘Joopiter’….and this watch in question was bought by an unlikely (to me, anyways) buyer- Kim Kardashian.
the purple croc Hermes Birkin
This bag…..was a moment for anyone who loved fashion and hip hop simultaneously. I swear, my friends and I geeked out at the casual paparazzi images of Pharrell carrying his custom purple croc Birkin (a Haut à Courroies version of the Birkin to be exact). He was then seen later on with this bag as his trophy on the cover of Purple Magazine. Long before most of the people on TikTok discovered what a Birkin bag is, this bag was and still is largely considered the ‘final boss’ of luxury handbags. And that’s not even including a special-order bag like this one….there’s not even a game level that exists for this, you just got the juice or you don’t. And for what it’s worth….Birkins are not even my favorite bags. But they have always represented keen attention to detail and expert craftsmanship….and to see your fave in a purple croc one? Next level.
the Spongebob x Bearbrick figurine
It hasn’t come up before on this platform, but I am a big cartoon fan. I LOVE me a good animated series and one of my all-time favorite shows is Spongebob Squarepants (specifically seasons 1-4, the jokes are golden era TV). I’m in good company because Pharrell has been an open fan of Spongebob for a long time. I’ve had a few little knickknacks through the years to show my appreciation for the show (I have a refrigerator magnet in my home as we speak) but of course Pharrell is next level. Here he is with an extra large Spongebob figurine in collaboration with BE@RBRICK, a brand that is part of the Japanese toy manufacturer Medicom. I’ll keep this brief and simply say that figurines from this brand don’t come cheap. An everyday bear figurine will cost about $200 USD and it’s the size of a soda can. Collaborations fetch more and then the bigger the figurine, the higher the price. I believe the one pictured above is the 2010 issue but you can buy the 2018 one on StockX right now for around $1,600 USD.
the custom N.E.R.D. chain
This chain was the stuff of legends in the early 2000s. Again, it was the McBling age still, just a few years shy of hipster era (now called ‘indie sleaze’) and we were in that weird period of still enjoying aggressively shiny things. And to be honest….that’s not something that has ever completely left the hip hop community (nor should it). But this chain, in partnership with Jacob the Jeweler once again, had message boards ablaze. Simply because it was just about the coolest chain around at that time (honorable mention to 50 Cent’s ‘G-Unit’ spinning medallion). Pharrell’s chain featured a replica of his bandmates from N.E.R.D. in diamonds and gemstones and it was exquisite, colorful and just plain ol’ DIFFERENT. At that time, a lot of celebrities were playing it safe with their jewelry as far as gemstones go- plenty of white diamonds to go around, maybe some canary yellow at times. This was one of the first times someone used this many colorful gemstones and it ushered in a new wave of rapper jewelry.
TL:DR- Pharrell is the coolest person ever and it’s not up for debate. :)
-xoxo Jenn
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