Earlier this year, Smino talked a big game on his “mister misfit but aint missed a fit in months” freestyle – and he proved it this Paris Fashion Week.
Not only was the rapper posted up front row for a handful of major shows – Maison Mihara Yasuhiro was one of his personal favorites – but he, along with Westside Gunn and SAINt JHN, contributed to the KidSuper SS25 show’s runway soundtrack with an unreleased, self-produced cut called “I Kno Fred.”
“I know how [KidSuper founder Colm Dillane] approaches his shows,” Smino shares. “I knew he was gonna do some theatrical sh*t, so I gave him a track I knew would fit perfectly.”
The Parisian collision marks the first collaboration between the two worldbuilders, who connected over a love of storytelling and character-building.
Smino seeks to embody different self-created characters with his fashion choices. In the recent “Polynesian” video he embodied a diner manager who’s “still trapping out the drive-thru” in his vintage Chanel headband and Louis Vuitton hat.
Some of the rapper’s characters of choice in Paris included AstroBoy (the goggled-red hat he wore to the BLUEMARBLE show) and Brad Pitt (his favorite suit by Mr. Saturday), though he admits it’s KidSuper that aligns most with his personal style. “Certain stuff is just undeniably good and KidSuper is one of those things.”
The certified connoisseur of all things cozy shared more about his passions for fashion and music curation – and why working with Dillane on the runway was a perfect place to start.
How are you feeling after your busy Paris Fashion Week, and what were some of your personal highlights?
A little jetlagged, but the good kind of jetlagged. My favorite show was KidSuper. I’m a performer, I love the performing arts and I really love it when people mix mediums in a performance. Colm turned the runway into a whole puppet show. Everything was perfect. There were giants and sh*t. And the clothes were fire.
You contributed a new song to the KidSuper show’s soundtrack. What was it like to hear your song on the runway?
It’s cool to be considered in that way because curating music is something I’ve always wanted to do — being a part of stuff musically without having to hop on the mic and perform. I want to make a soundtrack to a movie next.
How did you decide which song to contribute to the soundtrack?
Colm was just like “Smino, I need a song” and I was like “Aight, bet, I gotchu.” I know how he approaches his shows. I knew he was gonna do some theatrical sh*t so I gave him this unreleased track that I produced myself called “I Kno Fred” that I knew would fit perfectly.
How did you initially get into KidSuper?
One of my homies put me on to the brand a few years back. We never really got to work together until now. I was just getting some clothes here and there from Colm and the more I learned about him and the brand, the more I f*cked with it. I respect him so much – especially how he stays true to himself. Even now, on the biggest stages at Paris Fashion Week, he’s still painting all of his designs by hand. I like to work with people who can put a mirror in front of me and reflect sh*t that we both see in each other. Colm is one of those people.
You also performed at the afterparty. What was that like?
Performing a new song really, really, really is the ultimate test of if people f*ck with it or not. I’m not a very outside-ass person. I really stay in my bubble. But when I got to Paris, the first thing people were saying to me was “I love that ‘Polynesian’ sh*t.’ I can’t ask for anything more than that.
How did you select the outfit you wore to KidSuper show?
A lot of the looks I was getting were very business-y and I’d turn ‘em into some Smino sh*t. When I got to the KidSuper fitting, it was a breath of fresh air because I knew I could be cozy as f*ck. No knock to any other brands, I just love being cozy and his sh*t is just so cozy. I also really liked my outfit for the BLUEMARBLE show.
That was my favorite look. I loved the hat.
I felt like Astro Boy.
I also really liked the 032c look.
Yes! That was probably my second favorite look. Again, it was just cozy as hell. I would dress like that every day if I could.
“I try to embody [characters] with my fashion.”
On the other hand, I know you also really like that Mr. Saturday suit which is more traditional.
I felt like Brad Pitt in that suit. I’m growing up. [sighs] A n*gga growin’ up. So I’ve been putting on suits now. I gotta find a good suit in a good color, though. A lot of people don’t really make good cuts of suits in good colors. Maybe I’ll do it myself.
You have your line of silk pillow hoodies, but would you ever expand this into a full clothing line?
I actually am in the process of doing that right now. It’s called BJORN. It’s a whole inside joke. So my real name is Christopher Smith but my fans changed my name on Wikipedia to Christopher Bjorn Smith and it was a whole thing between them. I had no idea what was happening and people kept commenting on my sh*t like “Christopher Bjorn, where is the album?” and I was like “Where are y’all getting this Bjorn sh*t from.” So I posted like “This ain’t my real name” and people thought I was kidding. So I made the whole brand out of it [laughs]. Basically, it’s a place where I can expand my artistry and step out of the music space. It’s another extension of my art, which is cool — seeing how everyone curated their collections at Fashion Week left me feeling very inspired.
What brands are you into right now?
LOEWE is one of my favorites. I also love Bottega. I’m a huge scarf guy, so I love any brand with great scarves. I spend a lot of time shopping local on Instagram. There’s this website called lowheads.com – I probably just blew it, I shouldn’t have said that – and I shop a lot there. It’s all independent designers. Yesterday I just sat in bed and spent so much money. I got so much raw ass sh*t I can’t find anywhere else. That’s probably my favorite, favorite, favorite way to shop if I’m being real. I also really like Thug Club. I met those guys out in Korea when I was on tour there, and their sh*t goes crazy.
How do you implement your love of fashion into your music?
I watch a lot of movies because I love the wardrobes and the character development. That’s really what I tap into in my visuals. I try to embody a character or period of time with my fashion. For “Polynesian,” I’m a fast food restaurant manager but I’ve got on the vintage Chanel headband from the 1990s, which I paired with a new Louis Vuitton hat. I wanted to show I’m a manager who is still trapping out the drive-thru and getting money on the side.
What can you tell us about the new mixtape?
It’s just fun. I’m trying to listen to my heart on this mixtape. It’s a lot more up-tempo music. That’s probably the biggest difference, but it’s still that same introspective Smino with the wordplay and the harmonies.
