Soft like butter, like a criminal undercover.
The LV Buttersoft sneaker first dropped as part of Louis Vuitton Fall/Winter ’25 collection by menswear creative director Pharrell Williams. Inspired by the noughties, the original shape is a fusion of Pharrell Williams’ signature style and classic streetwear design.
Williams furthers Louis Vuitton’s spirit of creative collaboration; the legacy brand has seen great success in its partnerships with artists Takashi Murakami and Sun Yitian as well as other streetwear mainstays, notably Supreme and Nigo. For Louis Vuitton’s latest collaboration, he taps one of the biggest names in the Korean and global music industry: J-hope. A member of BTS and global brand ambassador for Louis Vuitton since 2023, the 32-year-old dancer, rapper, and music producer has carved out his own distinctive style and artistic perspective. He brings this unique point of view to reimage the LV Buttersoft sneaker–a custom design first created to accompany J-Hope on tour, which he is now sharing with his fans around the world.
The result of this collaboration “combines the effortless movement of a track runner with the exquisite Italian leathercraft of Louis Vuitton, adding hand-stitched and hand-painted elements for an extra refined, near-tailored approach”, according to the brand. The Louis Vuitton x J-hope has a springy, layered rubber outsole and ultra soft calf suede upper come in a bright rose and white colourway.
There are plenty of meaningful details for J-hope superfans including woven laces with a decorative Monogram cloche-clé and printed with “Your, My Hope”, an autographed leather patch crafted from a textile commonly found on the Louis Vuitton Speedy P9 bag, as well as a secret set of acorn and squirrel charms beneath the heel’s enchape, which echo the brand’s iconic luggage.
