The Dior Men’s pre-fall 2020 show was all things iteration and imagination, from the all American Air Jordan 1 to sport socks, designed by Kim Jones for Dior, Kim Jones is an English fashion designer who graduated from Central St Martins College of Art and Design, who made the Dior Menswear join the fray. The show took place at the Art Basel Miami, and was a tribute to Monsieur Dior’s love for both America and the arts, Dior who was a gallerist before he was a couturier.
The venue was filled with rare and high end artistic works by well known artist all around the world, the spectacular line-up was appreciated by Dior’s guests when they were invited to mill among them before its opening to the public. The guests that are A’listers of Hollywood from Kim Kardashian, Kate Moss, to David Beckham, to mention but a few.
The collection featured snake print coats and bomber jackets, all American style sweaters, suits with flowers petals as ascents, beaded psychedelic shirting, some where gratified thanks to the collaborative work of Kim Jones with artist Shawn Stussy, Jones brought street-wear into luxury terrain – and, he reflected, “that term gets thrown around left, right and center, but Stussy was the person who probably started the movement. Like me, though, he hates the term. He said, if we do a couture collection [in that spirit] then it’s the end of street-wear, because it doesn’t mean anything now.” The Penmanship of the collection took 2,600 hours of embroidery to create, and a wealth of couture techniques appeared on everything from berets to footwear.
A limited-edition iteration of the all-American Air Jordan 1, designed to commemorate Dior’s menswear was unveiled, the piece was designed in Italy with monogram laser-etched. The collection was a mash-up of Miami flamboyance and abundant psychedelia, there were shimmering snakeskin trousers and tutti-frutti printed shirting; layers upon layers of gauzy florals and outré knits; bucket hats blooming with corsages and ornately beaded utility wear. Kim Jones artist craftsmanship really redefined and expanded masculinity, there were accessories that’re due to sell out in no time – accessories like: shopper’s bags printed with Stussy’s Dior logo; beaded berets; logo-emblazoned water bottles; endless variations on the saddlebag with snakeskin version. “I’m a commercial artist,” smiled Jones to me recently. “I think things are going so well because I’m not afraid to do things that are commercial.”
Here are the highlights from the show:
