Jason Derulo is proof that he is somebody who “can do both”, as he is now more than just the music superstar that he has molded himself into. Last night, he emerged as a force in the fashion world with his unveiling of his menswear line, LVL XII with designer Antonio Brown. The event took place at the super hip and trendy Tao Downtown in the heart of Chelsea, where both Jason and Antonio were on deck to celebrate the launch and talk about the future of this budding collaboration.
The exciting and fashion forward brand will be making its big launch at Bloomingdale’s this coming August, which they proudly announced last night to a crowded room of fans and other journalists. The pieces themselves are crafted incredibly well after getting a couple of glances, and given their upbeat and positive spirit about it all, it seems that this will do well for Mr. Jason Derulo and Antonio Brown.
I got to speak with both Jason and Antonio on how this collaboration came together in a very unique way, their favorite pieces, and excitement about its hopeful future.
Jason, I read somewhere that you weren’t really into fashion a while ago, what changed your mind?
Not as a grown up, when I was a kid I wasn’t really into fashion. My brother was always the one that wanted the pair of Jordans, and I wasn’t really into it. Once I got into High School and College, it became a necessity, you know? You want to get the nice girls, what you wear matters so soon as I hit High School, even Middle School, I became more conscious and in a way, “you have no choice”.
And then how did the two of you come together for this collaboration?
Antonio- It’s so funny, he destroyed a pair of shoes that I gifted him on “Good Morning America”. And then he invited me to his home in Los Angeles and we sat on his floor for hours talking about the brand and what his interests were and his passion for fashion. I knew that together, we would be able to move into that “icon” direction.
Do you guys have a favorite piece in the collection?
Antonio- I have a lot of favorite pieces. This is a backpack jacket. So it transitions from a coat into a backpack, and it’s really cool. A lot of our pieces are very transitional, and we feel it’s important to give value to the consumers and it is still fashionable. It’s not like we are doing something corny and cheesy.
Jason- If I had to choose one, it is really hard because they are all so different from the rest. I wore this jacket in the “Swalla” video, and the amount of questions I’m getting about it is crazy.
Yeah, I saw the video, pretty amazing. 6 Million views in two days, and its super colorful.
Thank you. I find that positivity, it draws people to a music video so whether it is a color or a smile, it’s crazy.
What is the biggest life lesson you have learned in all of this, Jason, whether it is fashion or music?
Jason- If you don’t love doing it, don’t do it. Only go for the passion, man. If you don’t love doing it you aren’t going to spend as much time on it. I love food, I love fashion, I love music. It seems like everything I am touching and investing in turns to gold, because I’m able to put the time needed to make those things happen.
And he’s really invested in the brand, it’s not one of those things where he just puts his name or his likeness. He’s fully involved in the creativity process, he’s full vested in this and that translates to the consumers because they see it as him being authentic.
I hear you are bringing this to Bloomingdale’s in August. How does that feel?
Jason- It is exciting because putting my name aside, the brand is so strong on its own by itself. It doesn’t need any kind of extra push from me, like me saying “GO BUY IT!” I trust that this will do very well.
For more information LVL XII, check out their official site.