Jaden Smith on Why I LOVE YOU Is the “Most Authentic” Part of His Artistry

 At the beginning of my phone interview with Jaden Smith, I had to start by telling him his song “K” was one of my favorites ever. Unintentionally, it proved the perfect starting point for our conversation about his latest creative venture under I LOVE YOU, his non-profit, which he explains was deeply informed by his 2019 album ERYS. ​In support of his I LOVE YOU RESTAURANT – a food truck that serves free vegan meals to the Skid Row community – Jaden just dropped a limited line of I LOVE YOU graphic merch, with all proceeds going back to the nonprofit to fund I LOVE YOU’s ability to provide free meals to the unhoused. He shared more insight on the design process of the merchandise, as well as on the growth and future goals of I LOVE YOU and how it ties into his larger creative universe.Could you say more about how EYRS prompted the launch of I LOVE YOU?When I was making the EYRS album, that’s when I was really confronted with what was going down on Skid Row. All of the music videos for that album were shot in downtown LA. I realized I can’t just come here and, like, use the backdrop that’s been created, without giving back.Why was giving back to the people of Skid Row, in particular, so important to you?I have to go back a while for this one. This goes all the way back to when I was filming The Pursuit of Happyness, living in San Francisco with my dad. We hired homeless people to be extras in the film, and it’s part of the reason why the movie feels so real. That also just really engraved the realities of Skid Row into my brain. Those early experiences on Skid Row, combined with the experience of EYRS, just made me have this feeling of wanting to actively give back.What was the goal in launching I LOVE YOU?The initial goal was to make a non-profit, catered to this generation, that was cool. I wanted it to have a design language and clear aesthetic, and have everything shot and styled really cool. This generation cares a lot, and they are really vocal about what they care about, so I wanted to speak to that. I’d been seeing so much negativity, and I wanted to put more positivity into the world. I knew people would cling to it positively, and I knew it would make people smile, which is what pushed me to do it even more.How did you decide on the name? Certain words and energy, scientifically, can have a certain effect on people and molecules. That’s why I decided to name it I LOVE YOU, because saying “I love you” has a positive effect on your brain. It’s forcing people to say “I love you” over and over again when they talk about it. You always hear it. You’re always saying it. You’re seeing it everywhere. It just affects your brain positivity.Walk me through the design process of the Valentine’s Day graphics?MSFTS [Smith’s sustainable streetwear brand and creative collective] used to produce an I LOVE YOU shirt. It was just a shirt that said “I LOVE YOU,” and we used to give it out to all of our volunteers, but we r