Blue basketball shorts were not good enough for Jaylen Brown. He didn’t like the length or the extra fabric. In fourth grade, Brown would roll up his legs above his knees because he liked them so much. So long as his shorts didn’t fall down as he ran up and down the court, it was easy. By eighth grade, Brown had given up on them completely and only played in shorts that came up to his mid-thigh.

After that, the jokes started.

Kyle Lowry told him to get some pants that are longer.

Don’t wear those, I added, Jarrett Jack.

In high school, Brown worked out in his city of Atlanta with NBA players who made fun of him at a nearby gym. But Brown didn’t care about the people who didn’t like him. He brought his short-shorts style into the NBA. By the time he got to Boston for his first season with the Celtics, the style that made people laugh at him was back in style.

People often say that fashion goes in cycles.

“That is not a statement.” Brown tells B/R Mag, “It’s just me being at ease.” “I did it in college and high school, so people paid attention when I did it in the NBA.” Some people say I started the trend, but I don’t want praise. “I am just being myself.”

Brown says the same thing when he’s going down the halls of an arena tunnel on game days, wearing everything from Givenchy shirts to Saint Laurent jackets. “I’d go to games like I go to dinner.” “If I wear something crazy, it’s just because I want to be myself,” Brown says. “I like black a lot.” I love all the different ways and looks of wearing black. I like tones that are earthy. “Those are the ones I use.”

He gets ideas for his style from many places, as you can see when he watches the Steve Jobs movie starring Michael Fassbender at home in Newton, Massachusetts, in early September. Brown likes how simple the late co-founder of Apple dressed. Job is one of the things that inspires Brown the most. “I like the way he dresses—that fake black turtleneck and jeans.”

The 21-year-old walks over to his Google Home and tells it to play the Spotify UK house music mix. The smart speaker for his home helper is the newest thing he’s added to his apartment. He wants to improve his skills in more areas, including technology. By the time he turns 25, he wants to know five different languages. He has a piano, takes lessons once a week, and is learning Dr. Dre’s “Still D.R.E.” piano riff. Brown wants to be more than just a sports star. Brown is being taught to play the guitar too.

“There is a rapper named Dame Lillard and people who work in politics. Harrison Barnes is moving into politics.” Brown says, “You have Russell Westbrook, who is now a fashion designer.” “People are more okay with it now, but if you say something about Donald Trump to the average basketball player, they’ll tell you to shut up. I only see you as a basketball player. That makes me angry. I’d like to help change that idea.”

Brown says that leaving the 404 to go to college in the Bay Area changed the way he saw things. Brown wore Polos, Ralph Lauren, Ed Hardy, and Jordans when he was growing up in Atlanta. Brown says, “You had to have that stuff to be cool.” “In Atlanta, there’s a race. “The person with the best clothes, cars, and other things wins.” In his first year at the University of California, his style changed. He got rid of his earrings and replaced his Jordans with Birkenstocks.

Brown says, “At Berkeley, you wore bed clothes, Birkenstocks, and a hoodie, and that’s swag.” “I was really confused. Things I thought were cool were no longer cool, so I thought about what I liked. I began to play around. I began putting on Birkenstocks. I was eager to learn more about the country.

He was becoming more interested in jackets and shoes, which showed that his style was changing. Now there are custom coats from Starter that honor his homes in Atlanta and Boston, as well as bomber jackets in earth tones that he likes to wear.

He also made a collection of visors to fit his flattop haircut, which he has worn for four years.

Brown says, “I’ve always had long hair.” “I thought the visor game would be a cool way to get back into style.”

As Brown got used to living in Boston during the city’s windy, cold season, it gave his style a new twist.

“I’ve added some winter swag,” Brown says. “Big jackets, cozy jackets, peacoats, and more. I never had to have it before. It was fun when I got to Boston because I got to try new things.

He also wears a lot of different pairs of Adidas shoes, from Pharrell’s Human Races to the whole Yeezy line. Brown has more than 100 types of shoes, such as Gucci, Alexander McQueen, and Balenciaga kicks. Brown says that most of them just sit there and that he only wears 10 to 15 pairs regularly. He is in his second NBA season and is scoring 15.1 points per game, grabbing 6.8 rebounds, and hitting 43.7 percent from the field. He loves wearing all kinds of shoes, from the newest hyped-up pair to Flower Mountain sneakers that are only sold in Europe. 

Brown says, “I can’t tell you how I get them because then everyone will be calling me.”