Jason Derulo is taking it to the next level. While most know Derulo for his dance-ready bangers, sparkling white smile and smooth vocals, the international music star came to Florence to LuisaViaRoma to drop LVR Edition 19 leather boots created in collaboration with his fashion brand, LVL XIII.
Between eating pasta and enjoying the Florentine architecture, Derulo took the time to meet some fans and talk with LuisaViaRoma about LVL XIII, his Haitian culture and his latest song that he created as the Coca Cola Anthem for the Fifa World Cup, Colors.
Tell us about your brand LVL XIII with Antonio Brown, how much are you involved in the design process, what is your role in the brand?
I am one half of LVL XIII, Antonio Brown is my partner. We collaborate on all the designs, we look everywhere for inspiration, we go as far as looking at the décor in our houses when looking for inspiration. We try to really go to the core what it is we like. For example, we have a sneaker that is all metallic gold. The gold vibe came from my shower. I have an all gold shower in my house, and it’s just my vibe. It’s about bringing outside love and inspiration into fashion.
Has fashion always been a part of your life?
I have pretty much always been into fashion in my adult life, when I was a kid, I didn’t pay too much attention to it. It’s like our exterior form of who we are, it’s the first impression someone gets when you walk into a room.
Fashion is your statement, it’s who you are.
Can you tell us about the LVR Edition Boots?
When LVR wanted to utilize this model for our collaboration I was excited because it was one of my favorites from the very beginning. I feel like this shoe explains what LVL XIII is in a nutshell, it’s a combination of street, fashion, and class. It feels like the future, it feels like what’s next, it’s not something you have ever seen before. When you look at this pair of sneakers, something just stands out, I feel like it’s a statement. You don’t necessarily need to wear a whole lot else, the statement is on your feet.
Ok, so let’s talk about this year’s World Cup. Colors is the official Fifa World Cup anthem, can you tell us about the song?
I was chosen to write a song for this year’s World Cup and when I was writing the song I know I wanted to accomplish a couple of things. I wanted to create a sports anthem, but at the same time there is so much going on in the world, I felt like we needed an anthem that talked about unity and talked about being able to represent where you come from. I wanted to communicate that its ok to be proud of where you are from, of your religion, of who you are, so let’s celebrate that, celebrate your country’s flag, your country’s jersey. Be free and celebrate your colors!
What role do your Haitian roots play in your personal life and in your music?
So I shot half of the video for Colors in Haiti and I wanted to show the beautiful parts of Haiti. Far too often we see the negative side of Haiti. We all know that Haiti is one of the poorer countries in the world, but Haiti has some of the most beautiful beaches, it has the 8th Wonder of the World, the Citadelle, where I shot in the video. As I continue my career, I want to show people the beauty of the country. It’s so incredible. Haiti is my roots so obviously I have a connection, but I really want to share with people how amazing that place is.
Special thanks to Jason Derulo
Photographer: Bartek Szmigulski @smiggi
