Miami is known to be a mecca for nightlife. During the days of its annual Art Basel fair, it’s even more so, with one underlying thread — art in and of itself. From the Design District to South Beach, the city is abuzz with excitement, exhibitions, and star-studded parties.
Enter Hublot Loves Art, a program designed to highlight the art and artists that shape not only the luxury watch brand itself, but the world at large. Celebrating collaborations with street artist Shepard Fairey and their new Design Prize Awards winner, artist Dozie Kanu, the brand also highlighted their newest artist partner — Nicky Jam. It was here in Miami that the reggaeton artist, and now Hublot ambassador, launched his newest limited-edition timepiece (with his 26 million Instagram followers tuned in), and in doing so, continued to change the face of luxury.
Below, Jam talks about working with Hublot, how he feels about representing his culture, and what luxury means to him.
Nicky Jam
What does this collaboration mean to you?
I’ve always been a big fan of [Hublot] and always wanted to be an ambassador, and then — I got the chance. Today, I’m here as a reggaeton artist and doing this collaboration with Hublot, it’s incredible and it’s big for my culture. I’m really happy, so excited.
How do you define luxury?
Luxury is swag as well. It’s personality, and everybody has their own personality. It’s a statement. A watch is a statement. So if you have a nice watch on, it says a lot about you. If you have Hublot on your wrist, people know its serious. That’s what it’s all about. That swag on the inside and on the outside.
How would you define your style?
My style’s more classic. I’m not the biggest fashion guy, but I definitely like my own style. You’ll see me in black t-shirt and black jeans. My wrist will go loud, but I’ll go quiet on my clothing. That’s just me.
What’s new for you? What projects are coming up?
We just dropped a series on Netflix [El Ganador] about my life, it’s kind of incredible. I’m coming out with my new album in January, and I’m doing an [English] album as well. There are a couple of movies too here and there, but I can’t say them yet.
What’s something you have yet to do that you want to in the future?
That’s a hard one. I want to direct movies, I want to make movies. I’m into that right now. I’m trying to do my first movie right now and see what happens.
