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Jerry Seinfeld Swaps Puffy eNTerTaINmeNT
Shirts For High-End Streetwear In Viral Fashion Shoot
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By Julia Gergely
Jerry Seinfeld for the Kith Fall 2022 Campaign. (Mark Seliger for Kith/ Screenshot from Instagram)
(New York Jewish Week) – At 68 years old, Jerry Seinfeld has become the newest face of the streetwear brand Kith.
The comedian and New Yorker, whose last fashion statement may well have been the “puffy shirt” he wore on a 1993 episode of “Seinfeld,” appears in glamour shots taken by photographer Mark Seliger. In the images released Tuesday, he leans against bookshelves and stares forlornly out the window modeling brightly patterned jackets, the pricey sneakers that put Kith on the map, a New Era Mets hat and a gray Queens College sweatsuit.
Seinfeld, who graduated from Queens College in 1976, models the CUNY Collection — a capsule collection made in collaboration with Russell Athletics that incorporates clothing inspired by Queens College and Brooklyn College gear.
“Our goal for this partnership was to build school pride for students and alumni, while supporting the colleges’ aims to foster future students’ growth,” Kith’s website states. The Kinnect Foundation, Kith’s non-profit arm, is making $25,000 grants that will go towards Queens and Brooklyn college to “further their education initiatives.”
This isn’t the first time Kith has featured a Jewish comedian in their campaigns. Last fall’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm” line featured sweatshirts printed with images of Larry David — Seinfeld’s frequent collaborator. JB Smoove, who plays Leon opposite David’s character in the HBO series, modeled the “Curb” line. of JTA.org
“Life changing moment for myself and the brand tomorrow. Fall 22 campaign coming,” tweeted Kith founder and designer Ronnie Fieg, who is Israeli-American and grew up in Jamaica, Queens, the day before the Seinfeld photos were released.
Fieg’s passion for footwear began while he worked at the New York footwear chain David Z, owned by his cousin David Zaken. According to the New York Times, Fieg asked for a job at the store in lieu of a bar mitzvah present from Zaken.
In 2021, Fieg and Kith designed
a limited edition Hanukkah line that featured sweatshirts, t-shirts, wrapping paper and even a dreidel. “There are a handful of people that I’ve dreamed of working with from a young age. On the very top of that list was Jerry,” Fieg wrote in an Instagram post on Tuesday. “There are very few individuals that have had the kind of impact Jerry had on me.” “Having candid conversations on set with one of my heroes made me realize how incredible work can be when you infuse your biggest inspirations in what you do.” Seinfeld has had fun at the expense of the fashion industry in the past. “I hate clothes, okay?” his character says in a 1991 “Seinfeld” episode. “I hate buying them. I hate picking them out of my closet. I can’t stand every day trying to come up with little outfits for myself.”
Anne Hathaway, Jeremy Strong And Anthony Hopkins Form A Jewish Family In ‘Armageddon Time,’ Upcoming Film Garnering Oscar Buzz
By Caleb Guedes-Reed
Jeremy Strong plays a Jewish father in "Armageddon Time." (Screenshot from YouTube)
`(JTA) — How often do viewers get to see Anthony Hopkins use the word “mensch”?
The two-time Oscar winner (who is not Jewish) plays a Jewish immigrant who escaped the Holocaust in acclaimed director James Gray’s autobiographical upcoming film “Armageddon Time.” A trailer was released on Tuesday.
Others included in Hopkins’ onscreen family: fellow Oscar-winner and superstar Anne Hathaway, and Emmy-winner Jeremy Strong, known for his seething lead performance on HBO’s “Succession.”
The pair play Irving and Esther Graff, a Jewish couple raising two sons in Queens in the 1980s, at the beginning of the Reagan era. Politics and race are central themes, and the Graffs’ son Paul, played by Banks Repeta, is shown in the trailer being forbidden by his mother from seeing his friend Johnny, played by Jaylin Webb, who is Black.
Another scene shows Paul confiding in his grandfather (Hopkins) about the way he feels when kids at his new school say “bad words against the Black kids.” Hopkins’ character encourages Paul to stand up for his friend.
“You’re gonna be a mensch, okay?” he says.
Strong’s character uses another choice (see: profane) Yiddish word in one scene, to describe Reagan, who is shown winning the 1980 presidential election.
Gray — whose well-known films include “We Own the Night,” “The Immigrant” and “Ad Astra” — grew up in Flushing, Queens, to Ukrainian-Jewish immigrant parents. His first feature “Little Odessa” is set in Brighton Beach, a Brooklyn neighborhood with a large population of Jewish immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
The film, which hits theaters Nov. 11, has earned rave reviews at international festivals, including Cannes in May. Some see it as an early Oscar favorite.
Strong’s father is Jewish and Hathaway is married to a Jewish husband, but none of the stars identify as Jewish. The castings come at a time when many are questioning whether non-Jews should play Jewish characters on-screen.
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