This documentary tells the story behind Louis Vuitton’s monumental Snakes and Ladders runway set

On a warm Paris evening this past June, guests of Louis Vuitton’s S/S 2026 menswear show – including Beyoncé, who made her dramatic entrance moments before its start – were momentarily transformed into playing pieces on a monolithic game of Snakes and Ladders, erected on the forecourt of the Pompidou Centre.

It was a typically vivacious move from menswear artistic director Pharrell Williams, who has staged a series of blockbuster runway shows during his tenure so far – several of which have encompassed dramatic mise-en-scène. His debut shut down Paris’ Pont Neuf bridge in a shuddering spectacular which featured a gospel choir and performance by Jay-Z (guests arrived to the event by boat), while later shows have been backdropped by flurries of fake snow or the fluttering world flags of the rooftop of the city’s Unesco building (for that, a live orchestra was the accompaniment).

The supersized version of Snakes and Ladders – stretching over 2,700 sq ft in total – was conceived not by Williams alone, but Indian architect Bijoy Jain, whose practice Studio Mumbai has drawn acclaim for transportative projects which draw on ancient techniques and traditions yet are resolutely contemporary in their focus. Case in point: the Snakes and Ladders board itself, which melded the game’s ancient Indian history – it originated in the country as Moksha Patam in the 13th century – with a sheen of Louis Vuitton luxury (the checkboard was reminiscent of the house’s signature damier motif).

’I’ve admired Bijoy and his work for years, and I was honoured when he agreed to collaborate on the set design for the show in Paris,’ said Williams following the show. ‘India has always inspired me. It’s where Snakes and Ladders was born, and the game felt like the perfect metaphor for life: the climbs, the falls, the lessons. This collaboration was a meeting of minds – human, intentional, and full of spirit.’

A new documentary released by the house provides a deep dive into the collaboration, which began with Williams’ travels to India (the collection itself drew on the country for inspiration, though less from specific silhouettes or garments than from its distinctive creative energy). Studio Mumbai became a conduit for Williams’ vision for the season, seeing him embark on a months-long exchange which saw him, Jain and their respective teams refine the monumental set through endless experimentation and exchange.

The Making of Men’s Spring-Summer 2026 | LOUIS VUITTON - YouTube

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‘From the onset, Pharrell wanted to make a space that was engraved on the hemisphere of the earth,‘ says Jain in the short film. ‘We wanted it to be like how you might draw the game on the ground.’

Documenting both the establishment of the show set – from early models in India to its construction at the Pompidou Centre – and the creation of the collection itself, which drew inspiration from William and Jain’s early dawings, the documentary offers a rare glimpse behind the scenes at Louis Vuitton. ‘A giant Snakes and Ladders board in front of the Pompidou – it’s crazy, unprecendented, it’s beautiful,’ says Williams.

Watch the full film above.