When Daniel Julez J. Smith, aka, Julez, showed up at the Luar show, his mom, aka Solange, captured the moment on her phone, and fashion wept a collective tear of joy and pride. In this FRONTPAGE interview, we get the full story.
The city that never sleeps was more lively than usual on February 13, and not because of last-minute Valentine's Day shoppers picking through the remaining rose bouquets and plush teddy bears. It was New York Fashion Week. More importantly, it was Luar Day.
Luar's runway shows are among the most anticipated fashion moments of the season, packing venues with the brand's famous friends and fans. This season, Beyoncé, Solange, and Tina Knowles were shoulder-to-shoulder with the stylish crowd in a Brooklyn warehouse, ready to witness Luar's Fall/Winter 2024 presentation.
The talented family is pretty close with Luar founder Raul Lopez, having frequently supported the fashion label (Solange has worn Luar on several occasions). But something about having Beyoncé, Solange, and Miss Tina in the building felt — to those of us lucky enough to be there — like we were in for an even bigger treat. In struts, Daniel Julez J. Smith Jr., also known as simply Julez.
Julez made his way down the runway in a buttery blue pantsuit layered over a cream button-up shirt and topped off with oversized fluffy mittens. Beyoncé gave a smiling nod of approval while Solange filmed the moment on her phone like a true proud mom (after all, she is Julez's mother).
That was just the beginning. A few days later, at Milan Fashion Week, the 19-year-old model walked for Versace. "It was a very fast turnaround from Luar to Versace,” Julez told me over Zoom. “But it was amazing. Everybody that I met on the way has been great. Every experience has been pretty good."
Julez's runway debuts naturally exploded on the internet, taking over just about every corner of X and Instagram. Buzz surrounding Beyoncé and Solange sightings is expected, but there seemed to be even more curiosity around Julez, the newest face on the biggest catwalks.
Who is Julez Smith? Some call him Solange's son. Others, a Versace model. And he technically checks those boxes, but he's also a 19-year-old learning the ways of life and navigating the fashion world as a newcomer in the game. Just a handful of years ago, when he was still 13, Julez was into neat shorts and soccer jerseys. He’d just moved from New Orleans to Los Angeles with his family. And as soon as he got a taste of the breezy weather and "Cali cool" 'fits, he got serious about making a career out of fashion. But first, he had to develop his personal style.
Long gone are the days of Julez's infatuation with soccer gear, which would've fit right into today's blokecore craze. Nowadays, Julez champions all things baggy and comfy, like many of his other fellow 20-somethings. Some of his favorite pieces hail from NIGO's BAPE days and Dries Van Noten collections (he's a big Dries fan, by the way). "Dries is my staple point because they're not super logo-ish, but their quality is top-tier. I like Diesel, too. I like what Diesel's doing right now."
Like other fashion folk, Tyler, the Creator's Louis Vuitton collaboration caught Julez's eye, not just because of the delectable waffle Speedy bag, but because he is a huge admirer of Tyler's work. "I think Tyler is a big inspiration. Just seeing how he came up as a kid from LA going into music and then being a guest designer for a Louis Vuitton collection, that's what someone can dream of almost."
Alongside the musician, Julez looks up to fashion peers like supermodel Alton Mason, Chanel's first Black male runway model. Of course, he counts his family as inspiration, specifically shouting out "[his] mom, grandma, and aunt."
Julez's connection to fashion has always been there. For one, he grew up around his grandmother, the mastermind behind Destiny's Child’s iconic girl group ensembles. Not to mention, his mother and aunt are certified style icons. "Everybody in my family has been stylish since I can remember," Julez said proudly. "I was super young when [Destiny’s Child] happened, but I know my family's history in fashion. I remember being around my mom, going to her photo shoots, and even going to fashion shows as a kid."
Julez not only inherited the family's fashion gene but also caught the music bug. However, he approached the category as more of a fun hobby rather than a career. "I took music class in school, and I think many people thought that I was producing for real, but a lot of it was just learning music and production. Of course, I love music, growing up in a music family. But it never was like, 'Oh, I want to be a producer.' It was more like, 'Okay, let me learn something new. Let me learn this craft.'"
As I listened to him talk about his fashion era (filtered through the pleasant spring weather in New York), I could hear the enthusiasm and thirst for knowledge in his voice. "I want to keep working, keep understanding, and really learn and master the craft — not just modeling, but fashion in general. I want to understand every part, every aspect of it," Julez explains to me (I'm invested). "I'm young, so I still have a lot to learn. Many of my peers are into fashion, so I'm learning from everyone.” Before stepping onto the Luar runway in his shiny dress shoes, Julez worked as an intern for the brand, taking in everything he could in under two months before taking the next big step. "I was learning the ropes of fashion before I tried to get into it. And then at the end of my internship, it just came about like, 'Okay, this is your moment,'" Julez said.
His enthusiasm was palpable. There was immense appreciation behind every callout he made to the people in his life, from Raul Lopez to his mom.
He can't see me nod in support, but I hope he hears the genuine admiration in my voice when I tell Julez that he's a true student of the game. He replies, "For sure."
