Louboutin picks Jaden Smith as head of menswear, prompting backlash – DR
When not following in the footsteps of his famous father into acting and rap music, 27-year-old Smith has been a regular at fashion shows for years, as both a high-profile front-row guest and as a model.
His often eccentric dressing has frequently caught the eye — such as when he turned up to the Grammy Awards this year wearing a black Transylvanian castle on his head, or when he carried his own freshly shorn dreadlocks into the Met Gala in 2017.
“I am convinced by his creativity, but I am also happy to have an intelligent voice from a different generation at my side,” Louboutin, 62, told Le Figaro newspaper on Thursday as he unveiled Smith.
Smith is set to move to Paris and be responsible for four men’s collections per year, including shoes, leather goods, and accessories for a brand renowned for its red-soled stilettos.
While women’s shoes continue to be the bulk of the Louboutin business, menswear accounts for around a quarter of sales, according to the company.
Smith will take the hot seat, despite limited experience in the fashion industry, at a time of fierce competition from corporate juggernauts such as LVMH and a global slump in the sector.
In 2012, he co-founded the niche unisex streetwear brand MSFTSrep, which is specifically designed for fellow Gen Z and Millennial fashionistas, and has been a long-time collaborator with sneaker maker New Balance.
The LA native, whose love of the waste-heavy fashion industry is matched by a passion for environmental causes, has also backed a sustainable bottled water business and a vegan food truck serving the homeless.
“Today he lacks technique, but he’s starting to learn,” Louboutin said of his fashion skills, explaining that his new protégé had already made several visits to Italian factories.
“What you cannot learn is enthusiasm and taste and passion. All that, he has,” the stylist added.
Pressure
Smith, son of power couple Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, was in the spotlight from a young age — acting in The Pursuit of Happyness in 2006 and 2010’s The Karate Kid before turning towards music and fashion.
“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 told fashion outlet WWD.
Part of his appeal to Louboutin is his ability to connect with new, younger audiences, which is helped by his 19 million Instagram followers.
He “is going to show the brand’s vision in a much more visible way,” Louboutin told WWD.
The choice has echoes of LVMH-owned Louis Vuitton‘s decision to name fellow Black American entertainer Pharrell Williams as creative director for menswear in 2023.
Reaction in the media and on Instagram was mixed.
“He hasn’t been to design school, doesn’t have any technical experience but he’s the son of Will Smith,” sniffed a headline on the BFM news channel in France.
“This industry is already one of the toughest to break into, and instead of opening doors for real talent, it feels like 90 percent of opportunities go straight to celebrity kids or famous names,” complained one post on Louboutin’s Instagram message announcing the nomination.
“Nepo babies”, shorthand for nepotism babies, is a recent pejorative term referring to someone whose success in the entertainment or fashion business is seen as based on the work of their parents.
It has been regularly attached to Smith, as well as the offspring of Johnny Depp, Lenny Kravitz, or Gwyneth Paltrow, among many others.
Stella McCartney, daughter of Beatles legend Paul McCartney, has confounded critics by establishing herself as a major player in the fashion world at the head of her eponymous brand.
The Business of Fashion publication said it believed retirement-age Louboutin was thinking about the future.
“The billionaire shoemaker is taking a first step toward succession by bringing in a new creative director for the men’s category,” it said.
Fine jewellery brand Senco Gold & Diamonds has expanded its men’s offering and launched new brand ‘Aham,’ designed to cater to modern Indian grooms with a range of gold, diamond, and platinum options.
A look from Senco Gold & Diamonds’ new brand Aham – Senco Gold & Diamonds – Facebook
“Aham draws inspiration from the evolving equal relationships of modern Indian couples where the groom’s style is now as significant as the bride’s,” said Senco Gold & Diamonds’ director and head of marketing and designs Joita Sen in a press release. “What we’ve seen in most Indian weddings so far is the groom looking on indulgently as his better half glitters in her wedding jewellery. With Aham, we wanted to change that narrative and have the couple dazzle equally in their Senco adornments! Each piece of this collection allows the groom the freedom to express his personal style, most naturally and effortlessly.”
Now available in Senco Gold & Diamonds’ pan-India brick-and-mortar stores, online, and on the Senco shopping app, Aham’s ‘Wedding Season Collection’ presents a contemporary take on traditional wedding jewellery. The label’s maiden collection features over 800 designs including kadas, platinum wristwear, diamond-set rings, and more minimalist cufflinks, along with a selection of fusion pieces in two-tone styles.
Senco Gold & Diamonds’ parent company Senco Gold Limited was incorporated in Kolkata in 1994, according to its website. The business counts over 175 stores in India.
Gucci owner Kering and private equity firm Ardian said on Tuesday they had completed a joint venture agreement for a New York property deal valued at $900 million.
Kering’s brands include Saint Laurent, Gucci, and Balenciaga – Reuters
Under the deal concluded earlier this year, Kering is contributing the property at 715-717 Fifth Avenue in New York to a newly created joint venture with Ardian, the companies said in a joint statement. Ardian will hold a 60% stake in this, with Kering retaining 40% and receiving $690 million in net proceeds.
The transaction is part of Kering’s broader strategy to secure control of high-profile retail locations while also raising cash. In January, Kering said it had transferred three of its Paris real estate assets to a new joint venture with Ardian, freeing up 837 million euros in proceeds.
“Like the investment agreement already signed in Paris, this transaction allows us to secure another long term highly prominent retail location for our houses while enhancing our financial flexibility,” said Kering chief operating officer Jean-Marc Duplaix, commenting on the New York Ardian deal.
London’s Selfridges continues to be the pop-up destination of choice in London’s West End (Harrods has that status in Knightsbridge) and one of the world’s best known labels will be there as of January.
Dior
Dior, which already has a strong presence in the London flagship will be unveiling its first pop-up boutique for its new summer 2026 creations inside the in-demand Corner Shop.
That’s important because it will celebrate the launch of Jonathan Anderson’s first collection.
Running from 8 January to 28 February, the unique space will “reveal a playful world like a waking dream”. The company said the summer 2026 menswear collection “breathes a certain spontaneity into the art of dressing, while the womenswear line radiates freshness, with leather goods presented alongside exquisite creations. An exceptional selection that expresses the reinvented essence of Dior”.
Dior is currently inviting customers to book appointments and said it will “extend the experience through a curated selection of exclusive events at the pop-up boutique”.
That includes notebook personalisation with “a nod to Versailles-style gilding, personalised detailing applied by an expert [that] promises to add a truly signature touch”. And there’s also bookmark calligraphy where visitors can add their initials to a bookmark, inspired by the newest Dior Book Tote designs by Anderson.
The news of the pop-up comes in the same week that Dior unveiled its super-sized flagship concept House of Dior Beijing. That five-storey space dwarfs the Selfridges space but underscores the ambitious plans LVMH has for the brand, the huge investment Dior is putting into its global growth and its targeting of key luxury markets.
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