Inspired by Kanye West, Justin Bieber plans own fashion brand

Canadian singer Justin Bieber has said he would like to have his own fashion label one day, citing rapper Kanye West’s transition from artist to designer as a particular inspiration.

During a recent visit to Hong Kong, Bieber, who models underwear for Calvin Klein, told the South China Morning Post that his interest in the fashion world has been piqued and he would be interested in designing clothes “for sure” in the near future.

Bieber, 21, has been notable for his presence at a number of catwalk shows over the last year, including West’s recent autumn-winter 2015 presentation for Adidas Originals x Kanye West at New York Fashion Week. Bieber has also been a regular presence at the Met Ball, the annual charity fundraiser for the Metropolitan Museum in New York organised by Vogue editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and now something of a fashion parade itself. “Mixing with the fashion world has been really cool,” said Bieber backstage at the invititation-only concert he played at Hong Kong's Kai Tak Cruise Terminal in early June.

Regarding an own-brand fashion label, Bieber was emphatic that it was something he would like to explore, but he said if indeed it did happen he would like to do it properly. “Yeah for sure, but I need to learn more about the business. I’ve got to be willing to fail. Look at Kanye; it took him many attempts to do what he’s doing now,” he said.

Bieber added that he would be open to the idea of fashion mentors to help him navigate the industry, again insisting that experience was key: “Its all about trial and error and figuring stuff out as a designer as a creative director. I need to get some years under my belt, I just need to be more seasoned.”

A real working fashion label may lie in the future, but for now Bieber said he would like to do more modelling, having enjoyed his Calvin Klein experience. “It was cool; Mert Alas and Marcus Piggott shot it and I really like their style of photography. I also worked with Lara Stone, who’s a fantastic model, so that was really interesting. The whole shoot in general was really fun,” he said. He also revealed that model Kendall Jenner was present at the shoot. “Kendall was actually there watching me. It was before she signed a contract [with Calvin Klein].”

Bieber’s forays into fashion also, coincidentally, tie in with his first steps into acting, with the singer set to appear in Ben Stiller’s followup to 2001 fashion farce Zoolander. To much fanfare, Bieber announced to his tens of millions of followers on social media that he would feature in the sequel, currently being shot in Rome and set for release in February next year.

“Ben Stiller actually reached out like four or five years ago when he was first starting the project,” says Bieber of how his Zoolander role came about. “Over time its just worked out and he wrote me into the script,” Bieber said. However, he wouldn't reveal what role he plays, saying: “I think they still want that to be a surprise.”