Christian Louboutin Men has officially entered its Jaden Smith era

In case you somehow missed the news, Christian Louboutin Men is now being run by none other than Jaden Smith. While last September’s announcement may have come out of left field for some, the 27-year-old’s debut showcase is layered, intentional, and celebrates the maison’s history while simultaneously stepping into a new era.

On January 21 in Paris, Jaden unveiled his inaugural Men’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection in an exhibition that moved through multiple spaces, positioning his work within a broader cultural conversation where fashion, cinema, history, and craft were treated as equal players.

The display opened in the Projection Room, where Christian Louboutin’s signature red cast a shifting field of light. Drawing on the earliest days of photography and film, with references to Niépce, Daguerre, and the Lumière brothers, the immersion explored how light and movement shape style identity. Additionally, shoes from the FW26 collection were revealed digitally on screens, framed by textured, grainy imagery.

If the exhibition’s opening set the scene for the collection, the rest of the display was about exploring the pieces it contained. The Trapman corner, for instance, used 1990s hip-hop as its muse to rework the iconic Louboutin shoe. Jaden treats the era in music as foundational, going on to say, “Hip hop culture is at the centre of my design philosophy, while creating the formal attire for the men of the future.”

The showcase explored the maison’s recent history through its section highlighting the Corteo. First introduced in Fall/Winter 2019, the shoe has since become an iconic piece for the house. Seven years later, it has been reimagined through a lens of intention and discipline, representing “the businessman, the working man, people who wear a suit, who show up with intention, who build something through discipline and effort,” as Jaden puts it.

Moving on, The Loafers Display presented three interpretations of the penny loafer: the classic, slingback, and sandal. But the most significant innovation came in the form of The TCT I Display, standing for Tactical, which introduced the collection’s most functional piece, the footwear equivalent of a waterproof jacket.

The exhibition was not simply about the FW26 collection’s footwear elements, though. The space featured a wider meditation on cultural archetypes and how they shape collective memory over time, with installations such as the vintage televisions arranged in a circular formation. The screens showed a pastiche of moments from different periods, juxtaposing historical milestones with mundane happenings.

The motif of time was further explored a short distance away, where a selection of styles was showcased on columns reminiscent of Ancient Rome. The display was an artistic choice referencing the allegory of the Virgin Weeping over a Broken Column, symbolising how knowledge and craftsmanship are passed down from one generation to the next.

The exhibit also showcased the Angel sculpture from Christian Louboutin’s personal collection that was featured in the maison’s first shoot with Jaden. A photographic installation displayed his designs, which were captured using a historical wet-plate technique, developed by hand under cloth with silver and chemical solutions.

The exhibition concluded with a red anamorphosis that shifted perspective as viewers moved through it, before taking the form of an exploded red head.

Jaden also introduced an avant-première capsule, which went live on January 22, both online and in select boutiques worldwide. Featuring slip-on and lace-up shoes and boots, sneakers, bags, and accessories in shades of red, black and white, the capsule revisits signature silhouettes while introducing a layer of experimentation. 

The complete Men’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection arrives in stores in June.