Pharrell Williams is embracing his love for water through his new partnership with Evian.
With his brand Humanrace, Williams has teamed with Evian to design an all-gender, limited-edition, tennis-inspired apparel collection just in time for the U.S. Open, which kicks off on Aug. 26. Evian has been the official water for the U.S. Open for more than 30 years now.
“I love water. Water is such an integral element in my life,” Williams told WWD by phone. “My life is all about water. I write in the shower. I write in the bath. I write in the pool. I write anywhere, anytime that I’m near water. I get super inspired by that. I even love warm rain. I love, love, love water.”
The collection, which took six months to develop and was made in the U.S., was inspired by the concept of joy, according to Humanrace cofounder and chief executive officer Rachel Muscat. In addition, the collection was inspired by tennis fashion and includes several unisex athleisure-style items like oversize T-shirts, quarter zips and an expandable bag, ranging in price from $70 to $195.
“We created a loose fit capsule collection that’s inspired by the lifestyle of tennis,” Williams said via email. “You’ll see these cues in the design whether it’s the polo collar or the pop of lilac that acts as a nod to Evian’s classic pink. It’s all about being well and supporting an active lifestyle.”
Williams, who is a tennis fan, joked: “I love tennis because I actually suck [at it].…I do love the clothes, especially the late ’70s and the ’80s, super inspired by that. Arthur Ashe happens to be from Virginia. I channel him a lot with fashion.”
Williams previously worked with Evian in May on their Mountain of Youth campaign, which featured his song with Voices of Fire titled “Joy (Unspeakable).”
“Seeing what we’ve been able to do together, from this Humanrace collaboration to the way that they use the song ‘Joy,’ and the way that they made that feel and the jubilant energy that Evian has, it’s been fun. It continues to be fun,” Williams said of his ongoing partnership with Evian. “The idea that Evian would partner with someone who comes from a marginalized community, like myself, this is more than a dream come true, because I’ve always been obsessed with water.”
Williams also recently collaborated with Tiffany & Co. on the Titan collection, which was heavily inspired by water as well. Williams shared several of his connections to water, including growing up in a community called Atlantis in Virginia Beach, regularly attending an oceanfront festival called Neptune Festival with his grandmother and, of course, The Neptunes, the name of his record production duo with Chad Hugo; it’s these connections that make this an aligned partnership as per Williams.
With his brand Humanrace, which has done an array of other collaborations with brands like Dover Street Market and Adidas, Williams is doubling down on wellness.
“We want to leave every category better than the way we found it,” he said.
According to Williams, there’s also more on the horizon with Evian.
“This is the beginning of the chapter,” he said.