The launch for Jaden Smith’s FW26 Christian Louboutin Men’s collection on June 11 landed on one of the hottest days of the year in NYC thus far. The radiating sun didn’t faze Smith, though, who took us outside to showcase the red, logo-emblazoned Airstream serving up iced matchas, as well as the Chelsea boutique’s surreal window display encasing a set of ancient ruins submerged in red sand. Despite the frazzling humidity, it didn’t take long for Smith to deliver the poetic aphorisms he’s known for: “It makes you wonder what that civilization was built on,” he mused on the installation. “It creates a room in your mind that you haven’t explored before, which you can revisit whenever you want to wonder, What happened? What is that story?”

Smith was revealed as Christian Louboutin’s inaugural Men’s Creative Director last September, a pathbreaking turn for the luxury footwear maker, better known for its red-bottom heels than its men’s dress shoes. The multi-hyphenate Hollywood figure — who’s done everything from acting and rapping to philanthropy — is no stranger to fashion, having co-founded creative collective and apparel label MSFTSrep at the age of 14 with sister, Willow Smith, and Moisés and Mateo Arias. By his teenage years, Smith became widely known for his expressive style, sporting skirts with sneakers and technicolor grills to match pastel hair styles.

Now 27, Smith’s eclectic style is no less out of the box — best demonstrated by inaugural silhouettes like the Dots loafer, featuring Swiss-cheese-like holes on the leather upper, and the Molten Trapman boot, seemingly dripping with viscous paint. But when asked about his go-to shoe in the collection, Smith gave a surprisingly pragmatic answer: “Styling flip-flops with pants is a major look for me right now. I also love wearing some of the more basic sneakers.” He added that “luxury and leisure are distinct concepts, yet they are closely intertwined.”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by HYPEBEAST (@hypebeast)

The FW26 collection strikes a fine balance between statement styles and more familiar silhouettes, which feature slight tweaks. For example, Smith shared that the Asclepius Sling shoe can easily pass as a classic dress shoe, transitioning from “a standard penny loafer in the front to a very stylish look in the back.” The thorough spectrum of classic footwear and statement styles is an intentional narrative for Smith, rooted in a multi-generational approach to the line-up.

On synthesizing his creative vision with the French maison’s heritage, Smith said, “We look at multiple generations of men — starting from the patriarch or grandfather, to the father, to the eldest son, and down to the youngest son — and create everything from that perspective, whether it be the designs or the campaigns.” Indeed, in the Creative Director’s recent analog portrait series for the collection, he is flanked by his parents, Will and Jada Pinkett Smith, as well as his younger sister, seated in the foreground.

In another one of the anachronistic vintage photographs, Smith’s hand is gently planted on the shoulder of a seated Christian Louboutin. “His biggest advice is always to believe in yourself, your vision, and your ideas,” he said. Under the founder’s wing, Smith’s entrance into the maison has been guided by Louboutin’s advice: “Studying history, absorbing new information, appreciating other people’s art, reading, visiting museums, and constantly pulling inspiration from the past” — all of which only became more apparent as the Creative Director walked Hypebeast through his inaugural collection.

In a personally guided tour through Christian Louboutin Men’s FW26, Jaden Smith shared the philosophy behind his first collection, how he’s styling it into his wardrobe, and why flip-flops are actually a form of “spiritual technology.”

Hypebeast: Since joining, you’ve been very intentional about the product and also the way that it’s displayed. I wanted to ask you about the vibe that you’ve curated around the space tonight?

Jaden Smith: We can start right here [outside]. Do you see this window display? It looks like a message has been etched into the stone, but the stone is rising out of the sand. It signifies that this kingdom has long fallen and originated in ancient times. It makes you wonder what that civilization was built on. It creates a room in your mind that you haven’t explored before, which you can revisit whenever you want to wonder, “What happened? What is that story?”

Then, you see the brand-new collection existing on top of these ancient ruins. It represents the world-building of the Christian Louboutin universe we are creating. It is also about community. That’s why we have the setup outside; we’re a French Maison, and we’re trying to bring that Parisian outdoor cafe vibe to everything we do. As you come inside, you start to see some of the favorite pieces, the vest bags, and everything else.

You talk a lot about history. How do you balance Christian Louboutin’s heritage with your own creative vision for the Men’s collection?

It’s about meeting in the middle and creating things that work for the future while also appealing to the current consumer. We tackle that through our multi-generational design philosophy. We look at multiple generations of men — starting from the patriarch or grandfather, to the father, to the eldest son, and down to the youngest son — creating everything from that perspective, whether it be the designs or the campaigns.

Red is synonymous with Christian Louboutin and its outsoles. What does that color mean to you, especially now that you are heading the Men’s line?

Red is definitely a character in the stories we tell. It represents the root chakra; it’s a powerful color centered around passion, energy, and heat. It is incredibly strong and acts as a dominant color. It was always my favorite color when I was a kid, so I love it.

How did more out-of-the-box ideas, like the Molten Trapmans and the Dots silhouettes, come to you?

The idea stems from wanting the shoe to be able to change and evolve, so you don’t have to keep buying new pairs. This shoe appears standard black, but if you wear white socks, it brings the shoe to life by making it look like a polka-dot shoe. If you wear red socks or socks that match these pants, it changes completely. The concept behind it was to create a dress shoe that can be styled in multiple ways. If you’re at the beach, you can wear it with no socks, and it shows your skin tone.

As for the molten Trapmans — everyone loves these. People always notice the red ones, but I also want to point out that we have them in black. Whether you call them the “bloody shoes” or the molten Trappmans, the black ones are excellent, too. The red ones are amazing, but there is a large community of people who prefer to wear only black, so it’s important to offer these options for them.

Christian and I worked closely on designing these, and I’m glad people are receiving them so well. It seems like every post is about these shoes, which is great.

Do you have a go-to shoe in the collection yet? What do you like about them?

Yes, I absolutely have a go-to shoe, and it has to be these flip-flops. I love flip-flops, and I love the summer. Being born in July, I naturally love summer weather, leisure, and sandals. Luxury and leisure are distinct concepts, yet they are closely intertwined.

The closer your feet are to the ground, the more grounded you feel. It acts as a form of spiritual technology. Flip-flops make it much easier to spend a day feeling grounded, connecting with the earth beneath you. You can easily kick them off to touch the ground for a second and then put them back on. As humans, we need more of that interaction with the earth; it is seriously important.

Beyond that, they just have great style. It used to be considered unusual to wear flip-flops with pants, but that is my new favorite style choice. I plan to wear flip-flops with pants all the time.

You’ve been known for your unique sense of style all your life. How are you styling these shoes within your current wardrobe?

In addition to flip-flops with pants as a major look for me right now, I also love wearing some of the more basic sneakers. But if we are talking about styling, we have to mention the Asclepius sling. I love these shoes for the same reason as the flip-flops: they keep you connected to the ground.

It’s an amazing, handcrafted shoe that beautifully hits on the multi-generational design philosophy because it depends on how the individual chooses to wear it day-to-day. You can pull this shoe off as a classic penny loafer. It transitions from a standard loafer in the front to a very stylish look in the back. We also added an extra comforting insole to ensure they can be worn comfortably at all times.

Then, of course, there are the bags. I think people have finally caught on to the fact that the bags we release in every collection deserve close attention. We are incredibly serious about our bag designs; we are always thinking about them.

Tell me a little bit about the Tactical line of bags?

The tactical line is all about creating a new dress code centered around efficiency. It utilizes tactical pockets and effective, streamlined designs to keep your essentials close to your body. It is heavily inspired by military design, such as harnesses and holsters — highly functional concepts where immediate utility is paramount.

While the collection is inspired by the working man throughout generations, our tools have changed today. Instead of traditional gear, our tools are now our phones, wallets, pencils, pens, and paintbrushes. This design allows you to keep those modern tools secured directly on your body at all times.

Your close friend, Moises Arias, took a photograph that serves as the only print in the collection. What made that photograph the right choice?

This print is featured right here on one of our cross-body bags. It was the perfect choice because the collection is heavily inspired by the history of photography and France’s massive contributions to the medium. Furthermore, this specific photo was taken in France at a prominent music festival called Fête de la Musique. It functions almost like a national holiday on the first day of summer, where people play music everywhere outside. Since this is a Parisian fashion house, I wanted to bring that exact energy into the collection. Having the photo taken in France makes it incredibly special to me.

Since the silhouettes are so diverse, could you pick a specific shoe for a black-tie event, a casual kickback, and a summer getaway?

For a black-tie event, I am definitely choosing this shoe, The Cocktail Gorp. This is the one I would wear, hands down, 100%. For a casual kickback with friends, it would probably be one of the Trappmans. That serves as the perfect casual look to hang out with the homies. For a summer getaway, I am absolutely going with the flip-flops.

Is there a specific piece of advice Christian Louboutin has given you that you’re keeping in mind as you begin this journey with him?

His biggest advice is always to believe in yourself, your vision, and your ideas. He also emphasizes the importance of continuous learning — studying history, absorbing new information, appreciating other people’s art, reading, visiting museums, and constantly pulling inspiration from the past.

Tell me what you’re most excited to bring to Christian Louboutin over the next year.

I am really excited to continue the storyline and further develop the worlds we’ve been building. I’m also looking forward to rolling out new collections. There are a lot of innovative pieces and concepts on the way that I can’t wait for the world to see.

Visit the Christian Louboutin Men’s boutique at 808 Washington Street and shop Smith’s debut collection of shoes and leather goods at the brand’s official webstore.