(FILES) In this file photo taken on February 6, 2023 US rapper and producer Pharrell Williams poses as he arrives for the 65th Annual Grammy Awards at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles. - Louis Vuitton announced on February 14, 2023 says hip-hop artist Pharrell Williams will take over as head of menswear for Louis Vuitton. (Photo by Robyn BECK / AFP)
Pharrell Williams' star-studded Olympics party in Paris on Thursday night was disrupted by animal rights protesters.
The musician-turned-fashion designer hosted a glittering event for Louis Vuitton at the brand's headquarters in the French capital on the eve of the launch of the 2024 Olympic Games in the city on Friday, but the The Prelude To The Olympics bash was stormed by two supporters of PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), who waved signs urging him to stop using animal skins in his designs for the company.
PETA Vice President of Corporate Projects Yvonne Taylor said of the protest: "While Pharrell lives it up at celeb-filled soirées, the vulnerable animals sentenced to die for his ‘fashion’ choices languish in pain and filth on factory farms and at slaughterhouses, where they’ll be hacked to bits or skinned alive.
"PETA is calling on Pharrell to stop being complicit in cruelty and help pull Louis Vuitton out of the dark ages by shunning the antiquated use of animal skins and fur."
A L'INSTANT👀 des militantes de PETA Royaume-Uni ont interpellé @Pharrell Williams lors de sa soirée à Paris, exigeant la fin de l'utilisation de fourrure et de peaux d'animaux sauvages à @LouisVuitton 🐍
— PETA France (@PETA_France) July 25, 2024
Le monde regarde, Pharrell. Il est temps d'agir ! #JeuxOlympiques2024 pic.twitter.com/eM2qMdLcaG
The protesters held up signs emblazoned with the words "Pharrell: Stop Killing Animals for Fashion" before they were bundled away by security guards.
The event - held at the Louis Vuitton Foundation - was attended by stars including Charlize Theron, Zendaya, Snoop Dogg and Serena Williams.
Pharrell has been Louis Vuitton's men's creative director since last year and he previously incurred the wrath of PETA by creating a $1 million made-to-order crocodile-skin bag.
PETA's US Senior Vice President Lisa Lange invited the musician to tour a crocodile factory farm to see how the creatures are treated prior to slaughter.
She said: "We’d like to invite you on a less-than-luxurious tour of a filthy (for that’s what they are) crocodile factory farm with us to see the living origins of your ‘Millionaire’ bag.
"You’d want to bring along nose plugs and high boots to wade through fetid, waste-filled water. If we go to an indoor tank, also bring a flashlight, because you won’t see daylight. There are no blurred lines here. Killing wildlife for a bag isn’t cool – it’s cold."