Jackson Wang on emerging from his ‘most terrifying breakdown’ with a colourful collaboration with designer Mobolaji Dawodu

Date:02 Aug 2024
Reference: Tatler

On colour palettes, international singer and style icon Jackson Wang and Nigerian American fashion stylist Mobolaji Dawodu are at two ends of the spectrum. The former has a penchant for monochromatic, sometimes allblack ensembles and sharp silhouettes; the latter is an expert in mixing and matching bright colours and prints.

But opposites can attract, and their stylistic contrast is in no way reflective of their creative partnership—if anything, their complementary talents and aesthetics only take their collaborations to new heights. This year, Wang brought Dawodu on board to be the fashion director of his luxury streetwear label TEAM WANG design and come up with a new summer collection, which launched on July 20. Part of Sparkles, TEAM WANG design’s more experimental, funky apparel line, I See the Lights departs from the minimalistic style and black tone that were a signature of the brand’s earlier designs in the lines The Original 1 and Cookies. This collection features bold, fun, vibrant summer colours—think orchid purple trousers; mustard yellow shirts; florescent green leather shoes; and caps and hats in floral patterns.

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Above TEAM WANG outfits as worn by Mobolaji Dawodu and Jackson Wang at Tatler’s August cover shoot

TEAM WANG outfits as worn by Mobolaji Dawodu and Jackson Wang at Tatler’s August cover shoot

I See the Lights is also the first project since Wang returned to the scene after more than six months of hiatus and emotional recovery. The transition to bright colours is, in Wang’s words, “parallel to my growth as a human and different stages [of my career]”. Referring to his earlier career in the K-pop band Got7 that rocketed him to fame, he describes himself as a “trained horse in a race. I was in a loop of waking up and having job schedules, schedules, schedules and then sleeping for two, three or four hours every day for the past eight or nine years. I was living a life of shoots, shoots, programmes, programmes, shows, shows, shows,” he recalls. “I was told to do things, which I’m honoured and blessed to do and, in some way, I enjoyed it. But at the same time, that success didn’t resonate with me. Even musically, [we delivered] cool performances, but it felt like another jacket that was put on me, and it wasn’t me. I was compromising a majority of the time; I was only seeing things the traditional commercial way.”

This plunged Wang into his “most terrifying breakdown”, which took a toll on his work with the band and his own solo shows. In December 2023, he cancelled the Beijing stop of his Magic Man world tour due to health concerns, and went on a social media hiatus for almost six months afterwards.

During this period, he took the time “to refresh, to recharge, to feel inspired to live as a human and have a regular lifestyle with true friends”, despite it being the height of his career. But it proved to be a necessary break. “My friends were worried and advised me that artists only have a couple of years in the peak,” Wang says. “But that [wouldn’t] mean anything to me unless I figured myself out.”

Above Jackson Wang wears TEAM WANG design outfits

Then, a few months ago, he emerged anew. “Now I see things more clearly. Now I see the lights, hence the collection. It isn’t just about the outfits; it’s also my mindset,” he says. “I feel like it’s the beginning of opening up [my mind to new possibilities].”

One of the first few projects was his collaboration in June with Joopiter, an auction platform by his friend and American style and hip-hop icon Pharrell Williams. The charity auction offered Wang’s possessions for bidding, such as his fencing gear and equipment from his tours, and chronicled his early career from sport and music to fashion—in a way, it was symbolic of Wang’s departure from his past.

Then came I See the Light a month later, with Dawodu coming in to realise this new Jackson vision— and to inject colours into his world. “Colours are my favourite. They’re orgasmic to me, honestly,” says Dawodu, who raised his leg to show Tatler his I See the Lights red shoe proudly in late June. “When Jackson first talked to me, I was like, ‘Are you sure you want to get crazy with colours?’ He sees the light; I see the colours. So let’s have fun and do a bunch of crazy colours that complement each other.”

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Above From left: Dawodu wears TEAM WANG design shirt, trousers and shoes; Wang wears TEAM WANG design top, cardigan, trousers, socks, shoes and hat

While Dawodu doesn’t necessarily incorporate traditional elements from his Nigerian heritage into his work, or into I See the Lights for that matter, he attributes his gravitation towards colours and prints to Nigerian fashion’s decorative, colourful character. The GQ fashion director-at-large, who has styled celebrities including Brad Pitt, Pharrell Williams and Tyler, the Creator, also steered Wang’s new collection towards a more tailored direction than TEAM WANG design’s previous products.

It was at a GQ Style fashion shoot in Los Angeles in 2017, where Dawodu first styled Wang, that the two met and became friends. “I was trying something on and figuring out what would work. There were just too many [outfits],” Wang recalls. “Then we just looked at each other and clicked.” Since then, Dawodu has also styled Wang in some of the singer’s videos, including Cruel (2022), Blue (2022) and Come Alive (2022), and for the 2023 Met Gala.

Dawodu describes Wang as someone who is honest, easy to work with and open to ideas. “We had a very fast and fulfilling exchange [the first day we met],” he says. At the same time, the singer says he finds a lot of common ground with Dawodu in their tastes, be that “music, fashion or any categories. It’s limitless. I have some things; he has other things. I’m absorbing [his world] like a sponge. I feel [our worlds are] a spiral.”

Above Dawodu wears TEAM WANG design top, shirt, trousers, socks, shoes and hat

Above Wang wears TEAM WANG design top, shirt, trousers, socks and shoes

“The greatest work can only be produced through working with people who share the same value, taste and direction. It’s not math, it’s not calculation all the time,” Wang says of both this collaboration and the bigger picture of running his company. “It’s art, it’s fashion, it’s movements, whatever you call it—it’s all feelings and personal. Why I started TEAM WANG design wasn’t for business at all. It was not a corporate structure model. Whatever it was, it was purely because I wanted to create something I want to wear, something fun, exciting and what I want to see come into life.”

This philosophy is also discernible in the way Wang sees all the hats he has worn in life: an Olympic fencer, K-pop idol, entrepreneur and fashion brand ambassador. About a week before the launch of I See the Lights, he also hosted Cartier’s 100 Trinity party in Shanghai which celebrated 100 years of the jewellery house’s Trinity collection by bringing together music and fashion in a stage performance.

“These roles are all under the same umbrella, which is ‘create’. The only difference is the skill-sets,” he says. “When I choose what to take on, I ask myself: is it interesting to me? Is it fun?” Dawodu, also a Renaissance man himself in fashion, entrepreneurship and film costume design, relates. “It’s amazing when you have an idea in your head, you work hard and it comes to fruition and other people enjoy it. It’s almost like having a relationship with people by sharing what you love. It’s fulfilling. What else can you really ask for?”

Above From left: Dawodu wears TEAM WANG design shirt and trousers; Wang wears TEAM WANG design top, short, jacket, trousers, tie and hat

The duo have more down the pipeline, including the highly anticipated new album Magic Man 2, for which Dawodu will be involved again in the art direction and styling. Wang teases that the album, which will be released in 2025, is about his life. The singer is taking his time to work on the songs, which dissect his purpose and what everything means to him in the music industry, love, friendship and family.

“I’m very excited about everything from now on, be that my designs, music, next album or performances, because every single drop or output means so much to me. It is me, a hundred per cent,” he says. “I’m back in the battlefield. Now, I’m a horse running in the wild”—with, as his creative partner aptly sums it up, “no saddle”.