Many may not know this but the House of Dior has always cultivated a passionate relationship with art.
In 1928, twenty years before becoming a couturier, Christian Dior, with his friend Jacques Bonjean, opened an art gallery in the 8th arrondissement. It was they who, in 1931, for the first time in France, exhibited the work of a then unknown Salvador Dalí.
Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, Alberto Giacometti and Juan Miró all showed at Monsieur Dior’s gallery. When Christian Dior swapped the art world for the world of haute couture, he remained very close to his circle of artists. Marc Chagall and Paul Strecker painted his portrait, while his creations inspired the composer Henri Sauguet to write a waltz named Miss Dior…
From 1947, contemporary art played a key role in Christian Dior’s creative process while designing his collections, with him naming two of the dresses that appeared in his first show Matisse and Braque.
Later, his successors would go on to continue to be inspired by the world of art, a connection that the House continues to maintain up to this very day.
This fascination is at the heart of Dior’s inventiveness now more than ever. In this spirit, Kim Jones – creative director of Dior Homme since 2018 – showed his Men’s Fall 2020 Collection on the eve of the inauguration of the Art Basel Miami Fair. The show space, which is directly across the street from the Rubell Museum, was chosen as an ode to Monsieur Dior’s first vocation as a gallerist before he became a couturier.
Kim Jones likes to work with artists because not did Dior work with all the greats of his time but Kim thinks it is an interesting take on his life because he not only loves art but is an avid collector of contemporary art.
Kim likes collaborating with artists because he likes a different perspective and it’s very much what the house of Dior stands for.
Through his trademark mix of luxury softness and streetwear edge Kim Jones has revitalized the high profile LVMH brand.
From accessories designed by Matthew M. Williams to jewelry by famed artist Yoon Ahn to Puma to Rimowa.
For his Men’s Fall 2020 Collection he collaborated with Shawn Stussy the mind behind SoCal’s surf and skate brand.
Youth, vitality, the spirit of the new. By doing his show during Art Basel in Miami Beach – where galleries around the globe show work from artists of Modern and Contemporary art as well as emerging artists – Kim showed an enthusiasm to explore new worlds.
Embroidery, beading and tailoring – tributes to haute couture and the house’s heritage – combined with psychedelic elements to create an aesthetic that draws on many different influences.
French berets and bob hats like those worn by sailors, mixed with floral motifs, python prints, checks and stripes accentuate the collection, with the continuing reinvention of the Dior motif : silhouettes merging American and French identities and clashes of cultures.
Intense, bright colors: hibiscus red, pacific blue, saffron and pastels reflecting the art deco architecture of Miami Beach.
By blending a tutti-frutti motif with the Dior Oblique canvas on new accessories, the spirit remains joyful and light, the new quintessence of elegance.
Many have frowned upon these art and pop collaborations but the truth is, Kim Jones is leading the revolution in luxury fashion and by blending tradition and pop culture he has without a doubt reinvented and reimagined the Dior man and the world of men’s luxury fashion forever.
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