In case you missed it, Will Smith and his son Jaden were in Seoul this past week. The main purpose of this was to promote for their new movie After Earth, and in true Smith family style they made sure to try their hand at any other creative venture they could work into their schedule. Spotted at the YG studio with idols from BIG BANG and 2NE1, they talked of possible collaborations with PSY and G Dragon to the press. They then featured a Jay Park song in the trailer and closing credits of the Korean showings for their new film before Jaden, who has become a trending celebrity in his own right through his acting and musical talents, held a pop up event and collaboration with Korean fashion brand General Idea. Jaden’s streetwear brand has recently done collaborations with other Asian designers, like Taipei brand SMG, as a means to introduce the LA-based brand to the Asian market.
Choi BumSuk is the designer behind General Idea, a Seoul-based menswear line that has been showing at New York Fashion Week since 2009. His recent 2013 F/W Seoul Fashion Week show was one of the most highly anticipated due to it being unconventionally located at Gangnam club Octagon.
The collaboration event, held early this past Wednesday, was located at the General Idea flagship store in Sinsa. The collaboration consisted of cotton jersey t-shirts in black and white, screen printed with both the brand’s logos represented in harmony. Jaden talked about the shirt designs as a clear representation of the MSFTSrep image, described as “black and white basic.” The atmosphere was light and not stuffy, as some of these fashion events tend to be. Even with idols such as Hyoyeon and Sunny from Girl’s Generation and Jay Park in attendance, Jaden and his other MSFTSrep partners in crime managed to put on a show for fans outside when they took off on their skateboards to do a few tricks in the adjacent parking garage. Overall, the event was surprisingly fun and low-key: an atmosphere that embodies the aesthetics of both General Idea and MSFTSrep perfectly.
Choi BumSuk sits down with the MSFTSrep crew for the press conference.
The General Idea Sinsa storefront
Brad of Busker Busker and wife Dani
MSFTSrep crew with Choi BumSuk
Hyoyeon and Sunny of Girl’s Generation
Jay Park and Jaden
Jay Park
Jaden mingles amongst the product
Choi BumSuk making small talk while Jay Park lingers in the background. Kk
General Idea plus MSFTSrep
The swag bags
MSFTSrepxGeneralIdea collaboration logo
All photos are credited to Alex T, a model/graphic designer/photographer/otaku who just relocated to Tokyo. Follow her on .
All commentary courtesy of AJ Lund, a fashion industry chameleon. Follow her on .
