SERIOUS WHY SO ?

Kim Jones’ first collection as artistic director reimagines DIOR for the modern man, writes phoebe cheong

Created for the man of today, Dior’s summer 2019 men’s capsule collection, the first designed by Dior Homme’s new artistic director Kim Jones, exudes both freedom and fun with an energetic dash of irony.

For this collection, the artistic director reached out to commission the artist KAWS, well-known in the New York graffiti scene for his repeating cast of figurative characters and elements, to reimagine classic house signatures like Dior’s iconic bee motif as well as the Dior name itself in his trademark playful, offhand style. Both motifs appear frequently in the collection, especially on blousons, T-shirts, trousers, backpacks and pouches.

Japanese selvedge denim, a highly praised material among denim enthusiasts worldwide, makes up some of the casual pieces in the collection like jeans, shirts and blousons. The prized denim also features Boro-style embroidery, a complex and unique embroidery technique that dates back to 17th-century Japan and gives clothes extra resistance and strength. The capsule collection revisits this intricate craft by punctuating pieces with coloured threads, leaving the denim with pops of light colour and giving them a distinct flavouring of vintage couture.

Plenty of other elements help to complete what the summer 2019 collection has to offer. Gold, pink, or silver organza upgrades the Christian Dior visitor patch into a luxurious, modern crest that features the date of the Dior menswear show on 23 June 2018. Jones reinterprets the iconic saddle bag for men for the first time in this collection, and a range of accessories like sneakers, pouches, and more from Dior’s own Oblique line also make an appearance. The collection also features sunglasses and belts with buckles designed by Matthew Williams of the 1017 ALYX 9SM brand, and jewellery like pink or yellow crystalstudded KAWS bee pins by Yoon of Ambush.