Superstar and style icon Jackson Wang emerges from his dark past with a new phase marked by his latest colourful collection created in collaboration with fashion mogul Mobolaji Dawodu
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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TEAM WANG outfits as worn by Mobolaji Dawodu and Jackson Wang at Tatler’s August cover shoot
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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.”
