Jerry Seinfeld divides fans as face of new Kith campaign: ‘Incredibly surreal and strange’

Jerry Seinfeld has returned to the world of fashion as the new face of streetwear brand Kith.

The Seinfeld actor and comedian, 68, was chosen as the star of the brand’s Fall 2022 campaign, with photos showing Seinfeld posing in various trendy Kith ensembles. In one photo from the campaign, the actor posed in light-wash jeans, a classic blue and orange New York Mets hat, a Kith-branded letterman jacket and white Nike sneakers.

In another photo, Seinfeld paired a gray athleisure look with a brown bomber jacket, while the photoshoot also saw the actor model various floral jackets and vibrant prints as he sat at an old-fashioned desk topped with a typewriter or perched upon a leather chair.

In addition to representing Kith, the comedian also represented his alma mater during the photoshoot captured by photographer Mark Seliger, with Seinfeld photographed wearing a light grey Queens College crewneck.

According to Kith, which was founded in 2011 by designer Ronnie Fieg, who is from Queens, New York, the new collection features a range of partnerships, including “capsules developed with Russell Athletic for The City University of New York (CUNY) by way of Queens College and Brooklyn College”.

“Kith Fall 2022 serves as an evolution of the brand and showcases forays into new product categories and fabric executions,” the brand said in a press release. “These include a range of leather apparel crafted in Italy with a custom debossed paisley pattern, mohair leopard print cardigans, colourblocked wrinkle-nylon hybrid jackets, multi-striped woven chenille jackets and pants, flocked denim to create a velour hand-feel, and a range of sherpa outerwear.

“These elevated styles are paired with Kith’s Fall Classics collection which is comprised of the brand’s staple styles and fabrics, such as double-knit suiting, satin varsity jackets, and an assortment of heavyweight fleece sets.”

On social media, the brand’s new campaign has been met with mixed reactions, with some fans applauding Seinfeld for the “legendary” photoshoot, while others have shared their confusion over the clothes and the actor’s involvement in the campaign.

“Only Jerry Seinfeld can be this cool,” one person tweeted, while another said: “Quite possibly the hardest collab of all time.”

“I hate that I love this,” someone else admitted.

Others weren’t sure what to make of the decision to star Seinfeld as the face of the brand’s newest collection. “I’m not sure if it’s supposed to be funny, but I am getting a real kick out of the Jerry Seinfeld for Kith collab,” one person tweeted, while someone else said: “Can’t decide if this is dope or absolutely ridiculous.”

There were also those who had only negative things to say about the clothes modelled by the comedian, with one person suggesting that Seinfeld is “literally wearing the upholstery of my grandmother’s chair in picture one”.

“When you want to look like your grandmother’s drapes…” someone else said.

“Half of the people walking around New York these days are dressing like they’re in Seinfeld while Seinfeld is dressing like a frat guy who moved to New York,” someone else claimed, while another person summed up the campaign as “incredibly surreal and strange”.

While fans were divided by the campaign, Seinfeld’s wife was among those sharing their approval of the collaboration, with Jessica Seinfeld, 50, posting the photos on Instagram and writing: “Back to school with @kith. Dreamed up by a good boy from Queens, Kith founder @ronniefieg. Additional thanks to the Kith and Seliger teams for being so smart, cool and fun.”

Surprisingly, the campaign does not mark Seinfeld’s modelling debut, as the 68-year-old previously starred in Rag & Bone’s Spring/Summer 2015 men’s collection.