Exclusive: Wordplay With GOT7’s Jackson Wang
We caught up with him at the SPARKLES - MUDANCE summer collection concept space and pop up store launch in Singapore last Thursday.
It’s Jackson Wang’s world and we’re all living in it. Since joining JYP Entertainment’s K-pop boy group, GOT7, in 2014, Wang’s rise to fame can only be described as meteoric.
After the group went on hiatus, Wang founded his own record label, TEAM WANG, in 2019. He also pursued a solo music career in China, and then internationally. In 2020, he founded TEAM WANG design, a luxury streetwear label where Wang serves as both creative director and designer. More recently in 2021, he formed a Chinese hip hop group Panthepack under his own label after leaving JYP entertainment.
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Lately, Wang has been busy working on his new SPARKLES – MUDANCE summer collection. Taking inspiration from the brand’s philosophy of knowing yourself and making your own history as well as “summer vitality,” this collection features shirts, shorts, t-shirts and swimwear in pastel pink, white and flower prints rendered in oversized silhouettes. China’s national flower, the peony, underlines the entire collection, paying homage to Chinese culture and creative talents.
To celebrate the launch of this collection, Wang held pop-up stores in three cities: Bangkok, Singapore and Shanghai. The concept space and store were launched on our shores last Thursday at voco Orchard in partnership with Club 21, where we caught up with the man of the hour for some wordplay. Read on to find out what he had to say.
What are three words you would use to describe the SPARKLES – MUDANCE summer collection?
Jackson Wang: Mudan, dance and summer. MUDANCE is a combination of the Chinese word mudan (meaning peonies) and dance. And it’s summer—it’s supposed to be fun. We should all get up, dance, stop staying in and feel the sun.
What are three things you tell yourself to keep you going when times get tough?
JW: This is something that I love. Nothing comes easily. And to all the people that support me and know of me who’ve been with me since day one, it’s everything to me. And the fourth thing I always tell myself is: I love BAZAAR.
You speak a lot of languages. What are your favourite words from three of the languages you speak?
JW: I don’t think they can be aired. Three words? BAZAAR, BAZAAR, BAZAAR.