In a move that few saw coming, Jaden Smith is officially entering the world of luxury fashion, not as a collaborator or ambassador, but as the newly appointed men’s creative director at Christian Louboutin.
The 27-year-old musician, actor, and fashion entrepreneur has been tapped by the iconic red-sole brand to lead its men’s division, marking the first time in the French house’s history that anyone other than Louboutin himself has taken the creative reins.
Smith’s debut is slated to hit Paris Fashion Week in January, with a preview capsule collection dropping at the same time in select boutiques and online. “This is one of the biggest honors of my life,” Smith told WWD. “I feel a lot of pressure to be able to live up to everything that Christian has done for the house, and also stepping into such a serious role."
He continued, "When he reached out to me, I was just blown away, because of how similar we are and how much we like to do things in a similar manner. I can’t wait to show the world what we’ve been working on.”
The connection between Smith and Christian Louboutin isn’t new. The two first met in 2019 and quickly found creative synergy. According to Louboutin, the partnership wasn’t born from a job search, but from admiration.
“He arrived before the idea of a creative director,” Louboutin explained. “It’s not because I needed the creative director, it’s because of him, in fact. And so it happened like that. The day I said to myself, ‘He’d be a great person to work with’ was the day I realized I had been studying him without realizing it.”
Smith, who co-founded streetwear brand MSFTSrep with his sister Willow in 2012, is no stranger to the fashion world. He's collaborated with New Balance and has long been a style icon in his own right. “Just so that I can look at the materials, different lasts, different cuts, different internal shaping, different foot beds, different insoles, laces, shoe boxes,” he said. “Shoes are definitely a passion of mine.”
That passion has been brewing since childhood. “I would be in my mom’s closet, hanging out with her as she got ready for an event and she had a row of shoes with red bottoms,” Smith recalled. “I became bewildered by the shoes at a very young age. And then I realized that my dad also had shoes with red bottoms. And then my sister got older and started wearing them. And the first girlfriend that I ever had was like, ‘I need you to buy me some red bottoms.’ So it was something that was a part of my life forever.”
The men’s line, introduced by Louboutin 15 years ago, will continue under his supervision, but Smith is taking the lead on design, campaigns, and social media, a move Louboutin views as necessary in today’s digital era. “Because of his generation… there is a kind of mentality that is very different,” he said. “(Jaden) is going to show the brand’s vision in a much more visible way.”
According to Smith, their creative process is fluid. “We have a very similar workflow where we go into the office, and then maybe, if there’s a dinner party or something, we go there, and we continue the same conversation that we were having in the office with the same people, and we are just constantly in this bubble of creativity.”
That shared energy is something Louboutin cherishes. “He has the same enthusiasm that I have,” he said. “He has a way of seeing things, of digesting things, of transforming that really connects with my way of functioning.”
“When I design shoes, I don’t think about a campaign at all,” Louboutin admitted. “I think about the colors, the materials, but I don’t think about the narrative. That’s where Jaden comes in.”
Smith’s first full seasonal line for Fall/Winter 2026 will hit stores in May, following the January preview drop. If the excitement surrounding the announcement is any indication, it may just mark the start of a bold new era for Louboutin and for Smith.
“When I first met Jaden, I saw in him a natural fit for the Maison, his world is rich and multidimensional, his style and cultural sensibility are inspiring and his curiosity and openness are remarkable. I felt that with his creative direction our men’s collection would evolve in an exciting and dynamic way. He feels like the perfect addition to our creative team and I am truly looking forward to having fun working with him on our men’s collections," the official announcement details.