Jaden Smith wants you to be a superhero

The actor-musician discusses his first year designing menswear for Christian Louboutin

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Christian Louboutin has a thing for theatrical fashion showcases. For its spring/summer 2025 presentation, for instance, the luxury house had members of the French Olympic artistic swimming team perform in water while wearing its Miss Z pumps.

The following season, ballet-inspired shoes made their debut on a football field. By comparison, the brand's latest show, staged in Paris on 24 June, felt almost restrained, though no less ambitious.

The occasion was the unveiling of the men’s spring/summer 2027 collection, the sophomore outing from Jaden Smith, 27, who was appointed last year as the French house’s first men’s creative director, charged with shaping its footwear and leather accessories. Announcing the appointment, Louboutin, the designer, described Smith as “a natural fit for the Maison”—a partnership that, a year on, appears to be settling into its stride.

Inside the historic halls of the Palais Brongniart, Smith created an immersive installation that resembled a futuristic Stonehenge drenched in the signature red. Then came the models showcasing the shoes: claw-toed slip-ons that looked as though they belonged to Shrek, blush-pink boots, boxy-toed Oxfords, and ballerina slippers reimagined as elegant evening shoes. There were classic formal styles as well, embellished with beads around the toe, followed by similarly sculpted pairs finished in a black-to-red gradient reminiscent of a shiny new sportscar. The accessories, too, felt as though they had emerged from the costume department of a sci-fi epic. Multi-pocket vests designed for a generation juggling iPads, smartphones, smart glasses and chargers resembled protective armour more than traditional tailoring. The bags echoed that same philosophy, marrying functionality with fantasy.