Though he’s the son of two major actors—we don’t need to name them; you already know—the 28-year-old isn’t chasing glory on the big screen. Sure, he did a couple films, but the bulk of his chameleonic creativity has been focused on music and, more recently, fashion. In the fall of last year, Smith became the first men’s creative director of Christian Louboutin, a position designed especially for him by the maison’s eponymous founder.
Smith’s role encompasses the label’s famous “red-bottom” footwear, leather goods, and men’s accessories—a total of four collections a year. Eventually it will extend into campaigns, events, and experiences. We met him in Paris, just after he stopped by the flagship store in the Galerie Véro-Dodat.
The day after, he posed for the photos you see here at the Palais Brongniart. And along the way, we talked about how he’s working to evolve Christian Louboutin for men, his creative ethos, his Los Angeles–based nonprofit that distributes vegan meals to the homeless, and much more. ESQUIRE: The red sole exists in everyone’s imagination.
Setting the myth aside . . . JADEN SMITH: It changes the way you walk, even the way you get up in the morning. Maybe I haven’t slept much, I have jet lag, and then I put them on and things take a different turn.
Christian and I call it “red-bottom behavior.” It isn’t an invention. It’s the theory of enclothed cognition: What you wear changes how you think about yourself and, therefore, how you act. It’s like putting on a superhero costume and feeling that you have powers.
ESQ: When did you realize that fashion could trigger reactions? I saw the effect my way of dressing had on [my sister] Willow, and then I realized it moved other people too. If I go this way, what happens?
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