Maison Christian Louboutin unveils Men’s creative director Jaden Smith’s debut Men’s Fall/Winter 2026 collection, through an immersive exhibition that bridges fashion, visual art, music and history. Through the lens of photography and cinema, central to Jaden Smith’s creative language and rooted in France’s role as their birthplace, the exhibition recalls 19th-century experiments in which light and movement shaped identity.
Articulated through an intergenerational perspective, the exhibition opens in the Projection Room, a space of reflection where the Maison’s signature red becomes a prism. Inspired by pioneers such as Niépce, Daguerre and the Lumière brothers, Jaden reflects on the origins of cinema, when light and motion were first captured.
Shoes from the Men’s FW26 collection traverse the screens alongside artworks and textures, framed by the grainy silhouette of a medieval castle, building the new world of Christian Louboutin Men. "‘This collection is inspired by the history of working men throughout the centuries, The Stone Masons, The Scribes, The Doctors. It’s Inspired By The Lost Epochs Of Time & Made By Hands Born From Stars Forged Under Immense Pressure Deep In Cosmic Space," Jaden reveals.
The exhibition unfolds into the collection itself, where each piece becomes a vessel for Jaden’s visual and cultural imaginary. It opens with the Trapman corner; a signature silhouette reframed through the prism of 1990s hip-hop, an era that shaped his universe and defined a global language at the intersection of music and fashion.
The Corteo, which serves as an entry point into the Maison’s history. First introduced in Fall/Winter 2019, this shoe is a symbol of elegance and presence. It represents the perfect classic, embodying, for Jaden Smith, the businessman, the working man, people who wear a suit, who show up with intention, who build something through discipline and effort. The Loafers Display presents three interpretations of the iconic Penny loafer, in its classic shape and a sling back and a sandal version. With the TCT I Display, standing for Tactical, Jaden advances technical innovation, imagining the collection’s most functional piece as the shoe version of a tactical waterproof jacket.
Extending beyond the collection displays, the exhibition unfolds as a reflection on image and history. A 360° video installation of vintage television screens brings together extracts from different periods that shaped human history: frames from the past and the present, spanning from major events to everyday moments, highlighting how images circulate and quietly shape collective memory over time. This reflection continues with select styles displayed atop antique columns, inspired by the allegory of the Virgin Weeping over a Broken Column, evoking knowledge and craftsmanship passed down through generations.
A symbol appears with the Angel sculpture, taken from Christian Louboutin’s personal collection and featured in the first shooting with Jaden, capturing the essence of their bond: a guardian angel of their relation, made of mutual respect, admiration and the joy of creating together.
A photo installation presents Jaden’s pieces, some of which are captured using early photographic methods: each of these images is created under a cloth and developed by hand, with silver and chemical solutions revealing the forms. Select photographs are printed as red-illuminated negatives, referencing the Maison’s signature. The exhibition passes through a red anamorphosis, honouring Christian Louboutin’s iconic colour. The journey culminates in a monumental exploded red head that dominates the space, serving as an immersive display to reveal the final chapter of the collection.
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