Jaden Smith at Louboutin

Jaden Smith’s directorial debut at Christian Louboutin has finally arrived. Known primarily as a musician, actor, and cultural figure, Smith has long occupied a visible position within contemporary pop culture. Back in September 2025, Christian Louboutin announced him as the Maison’s first-ever Men’s Creative Director. This was a major creative restructure that not only brought the brand into a new realm of menswear but also fundamentally changed its visual culture. Now, after months of anticipation, his first showcase has been unveiled during Paris Men’s Fashion Week FW26.

All photos courtesy Christian Louboutin
Wet-plate photo series by Kasia Wozniak

Words & layout Rita Vaz Baptista

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.

— Christian Louboutin

*Portrait of Jaden Smith by Thibaut Grevet.*

Jaden Smith’s lack of a conventional design background has sparked debate, reopening familiar questions around celebrity influence and the balance between spectacle and craftsmanship in luxury fashion.

The presentation departed from a traditional runway format. Visitors entered a space saturated in the Maison’s signature red. A photographic darkroom. The installation explored how light and movement shape visual identity through image-making, drawing on the earliest days of photography and cinema. References pointed to figures such as Nicéphore Niépce, one of the first to successfully capture a permanent photograph; Louis Daguerre, who developed the daguerreotype process; and the Lumière brothers, pioneers of early motion picture film.

The collection’s new designs were captured using an archival wet-plate photographic technique. Unlike digital photography, where dozens of frames can be captured in seconds, this method demands stillness. When photographing portraits, subjects must remain motionless, breathless as the image develops. There is a shared moment of concentration between photographer and sitter. An intimacy is formed through holding one’s breath together. In an era of endless digital reproduction, the appeal of analogue lies in its physicality and imperfection. Smith’s use of photography here feels charged less by a need for documentation and more as a form of memory.

This collection is inspired by the history of working men throughout the centuries, the stonemasons, the scribes, the doctors. It’s inspired by the lost epochs of time and made by hands born from stars forged under immense pressure deep in cosmic space.

– Jaden Smith

The motif of time was a constant parallel thread throughout the space. Towering stacks of televisions played fragments of historical footage intercut with everyday imagery, collapsing the distance between past and present. Handbags and footwear lay set on classical columns, ruins of an ancient Roman temple. The space ended with an optical illusion that shifted as viewers moved around it before resolving into an exploded crimson head, reinforcing the idea that perception is shaped through movement and perspective.

The hallmark of a Louboutin shoe has long been its iconic red sole. Well, that has changed since Jaden Smith entered the design studio. Visible logos and red paint dripped over classic boots have turned the quiet luxury of a “red bottom” into a flashier “red top,” introducing a new visual language across established designs. These designs are rooted in functionality and experimentation, shoes that can withstand every condition. Footwear designed with outerwear sensibilities. Familiar silhouettes are pushed in proportion and texture, balancing utility-driven construction with unconventional materials. The Corteo, one of the house’s most recognisable styles, is reworked from an evening shoe into something more grounded, imagined for daily wear rather than special occasions.

Conceptual touchpoints span Dadaism, Roman mythology, cosmic imagery, civil rights symbolism, and historical labour archetypes, forming a dense web of references that prioritises atmosphere. The symbolism is expansive, leaving space for multiple readings rather than a single, fixed narrative.

Repositioning a heritage house for a younger audience is a delicate endeavour. In this context, Louboutin’s choice of Smith appears less concerned with consensus than with participation in a broader cultural conversation. The industry has seen similar appointments in recent years, from Pharrell Williams at Louis Vuitton to A$AP Rocky at Ray-Ban, bringing cultural capital while challenging traditional notions of technical craft. Smith’s role is shaped less by formal design training and more by sustained presence within music and contemporary culture. The “nepo baby” label that follows him may complicate perceptions of legitimacy, yet it also keeps him firmly embedded in the conversations luxury brands increasingly seek to engage with.

Ultimately, Jaden Smith’s debut demonstrates Louboutin’s willingness to embrace change rather than avoid it. It is daring and polarizing. The question is not whether it is safe, but how far the brand is willing to stretch without closing off future possibilities. What emerges is a layered menswear vision that opens space for considering what Louboutin might become.