Jaden Smith’s Parisian Statement: A Trunk Full of Legacy and Style

Under the glow of Parisian lights, Jaden Smith arrived at the LVMH Prize cocktail party carrying more than just a handbag—he carried history. The Louis Vuitton Petite Malle, a modern miniature trunk echoing the brand’s heritage, swung effortlessly by his side as he navigated the elite gathering. The annual event, designed to spotlight the next wave of visionary designers, found an unlikely but fitting symbol in Smith’s accessory: a nod to reinvention, a salute to timeless craftsmanship.

Dressed in a slate gray shirt jacket with an avant-garde flared hem, sheer pleated pants, and leather boots, Smith embodied the seamless fusion of classic and contemporary. A pair of bold cat-eye frames completed the ensemble, but the true conversation piece remained the handbag—a clever trompe-l’oeil design mimicking three trunks in one. This piece, plucked from Louis Vuitton’s Spring 2025 womenswear collection, pays tribute to creative director Nicolas Ghesquière’s original Petite Malle concept, first introduced in 2014.

Louis Vuitton’s story has always been written in trunks. Founded in 1854, the house redefined travel with stackable, flat-topped chests—a radical departure from their rounded, impractical predecessors. The brand’s ingenuity extended beyond form; its patented “unpickable” tumbler lock, crafted by Vuitton and his son Georges, revolutionized security in the early 20th century and remains a hallmark of Vuitton trunks to this day.

As the LVMH Prize edges toward its grand finale, where 20 emerging designers vie for a prestigious 400,000-euro award and unparalleled mentorship, the night’s ambiance buzzed with possibility. Delphine Arnault, a guiding force behind the competition, noted a resurgence of tailoring, intricate embellishments, and daring statement pieces in the contestants’ collections. It is a reminder that fashion’s greatest power lies in its ability to bridge eras, much like Smith’s carefully curated look—where the past is never truly left behind but instead carried forward, stylishly reimagined.