2024 is undoubtedly The LEGO Group’s year.
From early learning to sparking adult creativity, the brand continues to dominate play whilst innovating through collaborations. As it widens its cultural and lifestyle reach, the brand has already announced an upcoming multi-year Nike partnership, and more recently, unveiled its highly anticipated collaboration with Pharrell Williams.
As well as a biopic Piece by Piece -- documenting his journey in LEGO® brick form -- the pair have also launched a collaborative "Over the Moon" set embracing the creative’s fascination with space. The rocketship design, seen across much of his work, features a multicolored jet stream and a red cap-clad Pharrell Williams alongside a figure of his wife Helen Lasichanh. The set is complete with a “Phriends” abacus that aims to represent all faces, skin tones, impairments, and more, made for everyone to recognize themselves within.
To celebrate the launch, Hypebeast has teamed up with the LEGO Group to explore the next generation of creatives as they shoot for the moon and pave their way in the industry. The debut episode of Stargazers spotlights Paris’ Jean Jacques Ndjoli — a multifaceted creative whose cross-medium work spans fashion, art, and direction while championing the vibrancy of a bold color palette.
Discussing his journey, legacy, and how he looks to inspire through creativity, Ndjoli builds the new set and breaks down some of his favorite Pharrell Williams moments.
"I got where I am today through really allowing myself to express in many different ways without fear."
Attributing his vibrant aesthetic to his Congolese heritage, experimenting with color through fashion or visuals is what Ndjoli is revered for. "What I do as a creative director is create universes, objects, worlds, and even multiverses. It's more about making things come to life," he responds to being asked to describe what he does. "I got where I am today through really allowing myself to express in many different ways without fear."
Beginning his journey through street-style photography, taking photos, discovering new places, and connecting with people is how he fell in love with the art. Remembering his big break, it was in 2018 when he felt recognized for the work he produced. "I remember how it felt," he tells Hypebeast. "You know in video games, there are parts of the map that you don't see until you get to a certain point. I felt like I opened a new part of my life, and I was like, 'Okay, there are endless possibilities here and I just have to go for it.'"
While hard work is always a key factor in success, fate is also at play, and if opportunities arise, it’s about knowing when to take them so he relies on faith to point him in the right direction. "I didn't really think of doing what I'm doing now, I just allowed myself to go through [the doors] and do what I like to do," he explains. "I guess I arrived here because I was supposed to."
“If the sky was the limit, honestly, I would probably create a whole city. A whole country if you give me the canvas.”
Using talent to make an impactful mark on society is something he also holds to high importance, and believes all creatives bear a responsibility to act on it. “There are a lot of problems, but there’s also a lot of solutions that we can bring through creativity,” he says of the work that needs to be done. "I feel if you’re able to focus on that and bring a new voice, you are much more useful than a creative who is just having fun.”
Inspiration comes from a range of areas — places he’s visited, people he’s met, or objects he’s come across. But taking a step back, blocking out distractions, and focusing on the task at hand provides Ndjoli with the space he needs to truly express himself. “I mostly go inside of my head. I need to sit down, take a pen, and start drawing,” he says, although he confesses that traditional art isn’t his strength but more about getting his ideas on paper. “I travel around my head and try to find the best way to create something that has never existed. There are a lot of things that I've been inspired by, I guess it's just the whole world that communicates with me.”
When it comes to craft, the question is asked Can you really fulfil your full potential? And that’s something Ndjoli believes is a lifelong mission you can never truly conquer. "It's like a marathon," he explains. "You can achieve it by never stopping and being consistent with the way you do it." If he wasn’t a creative director, however, he’d be a politician, and his first call of action is "to make Africa free again."
"If the sky was the limit, honestly, I would probably create a whole city. A whole country if you give me the canvas," he explains how he envisions his practice without limitations. "Crazy buildings, crazy towers, crazy places for people to be at ease. People to feel good and are amazed everywhere they go" — a concept that leans into his ethos of making a positive impact, creating for the benefit of the wider community, and working on solutions to better the planet.
If you ask any artist, it’s a level of curiosity they all possess that informs their craft, and play fosters that inner creativity. “You want to know how this works or what that does. By doing that, you allow creativity to express itself fully.”
Marrying the past and present, old and new, is what Ndjoli hopes to achieve through his work. These core principles are what resonates with the ethos held by the LEGO Group and its quest inspire creativity in everyone. "The fact that whether young or old, we can all play the same game is crazy," he exclaims. "That's what I do and want to keep achieving."
"Once we saw people who look like us, that allowed us to dream, allowed us to have a new perspective."
"My big brother really liked American shows and artists," Ndjoli recalls of his awareness of US popular culture during his formative years, and in turn, exposure to Pharrell Williams’ work. "He was the coolest, you just wanted to be like [him], get a Baby Milo T-shirt, and everything." However, it’s only when growing up that he realized the scale of the impact Williams has had on wider contemporary culture — including all of the disciples that Ndjoli now occupies. "Looking at everything he’s doing, he mastered them -- streetwear, music, luxury. He came and combined it all, and seeing that was the real inspiration for me," he says.
Similarly to how the LEGO Group transcends age groups, Williams’ influence continues to be channeled to the next generation, making this collaboration an inevitable next step. It’s his ability to adapt and thrive within multiple disciplines, building an illustrious portfolio and maintaining relevance that aligns with a variety of taste palettes. “Everybody feels like they have an ability and a possibility to do it as well,” Ndjoli says of Williams’ influence. “Once we saw people who look like us, that allowed us to dream, allowed us to have a new perspective.”
Resonating with the different communities is clear in the latest collaboration. With inclusivity at its heart, the abacus component aims to "represent all of us. There are many different races, faces, colors, and styles. It's pretty cool to see such diversity." As he builds the set that will be placed in its dedicated display case, Ndjoli reminisces of his favorite moments from Williams — from being invited to his first fashion show in Paris to the impact on culture and his own career.
"Aiming to build a legacy for future generations by leading by example and “striving, staying consistent, and not quitting," Ndjoli concludes, "I want to be remembered as a light of joy and love through my work and everything I do."
Watch the full Stargazers campaign with Jean Jacques Ndjoli above. For more information and to shop the new "Over the Moon with Pharrell Williams" set, visit the LEGO® website.
