Kim Jones: The Exhilaration and Integrity of his Dior Debut
Kim Jones has curated a fascinating tenure. The thirty-nine year old has been in the fashion world for just fifteen years, placing his footprint in the elite menswear realm. In just a short duration of time, Jones has endeavored positions at Dunhill, Mulberry, Hugo Boss, Iceberg, Alexander McQueen, and Louis Vuitton. He is most prominent due to his eloquent unity of street wear and high fashion within his designs. He is the mastermind behind the unprecedented collaboration between Louis Vuitton and Supreme, which generated millions of dollars for Vuitton. Jones was the youngest Artistic Director ever to be placed at the helms of LV, and brought an immense amount of elation to the house. Many were thrilled with the time Jones spent at Louis Vuitton, never failing to portray his true love for his work in all that he did. It was a bittersweet end of the run for Jones and the brand, when he decided to make the move to Dior Homme this past year.
On Saturday June twenty-third, the Englishman presented his debut collection for Dior. The event was hotly anticipated and it was shown by all of the love and support for Jones. Many of his closest friends were in attendance, along with more than a few big names. Rapper A$AP Rocky, models Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss, Bella Hadid, Victoria Beckham, Kim Kardashian, Robert Pattinson, and Virgil Abloh all resided in the atelier at one point to show him love. Kid Cudi, Luka Sabbat, and Russel Westbrook were in France for the event as well. There was a special buzz in the air in Paris that day, attracting individuals from different career paths and walks of life all to one event. The rechristening of Dior isn’t just a colossal event because of its incredibly rich history, it’s also due to the notion that it is at the hands of Kim Jones. The Englishman possess such a varying style from his predecessor, Kris Van Assche. The Spring/Summer ‘19 collection that Jones curated was immensely exciting, carefully and subtly depicting immense grandeur.
In months prior to the show, the young designer mined the Christian Dior archives for inspiration. Consequently, his debut show was an effort to pay homage to Mr. Dior which consisted of a subtle, more relaxed approach to the tailoring. The aesthetic lends itself to a few street wear notions as well. The footwear of choice included a chunkier sneaker, a nod to the “dad sneaker” craze of last year. The floral designs on shirts, trousers and tailoring was impeccably pursued. The London-born designer elaborated on the little details such as the floral prints by saying, “We wanted to have very light touches, so that is has an ease and is effortless.” When questioned about his prominence of street wear encouragement at LV, and more specifically how it will transcend into his time at Dior, Jones said, “I’ve moved away from that a bit… That’s easy modern menswear ; this is a lot more elegant and sophisticated and a little bit more romantic too, which is what Dior is.”
Kim Jones is, without a doubt, one of the most eclectic and exciting young designers today. He continues to revolutionize the fashion world with every collection, and now that he is at the helms of Dior Homme, the sky’s the limit. It’s a perfect fit: a fresh young designer, paired with a house that has a rich past. Dior is a label of top class, elegance, and grace. The Englishman at the helms of the French brand bears just as much virtue. While discussing the success of his predecessor at Louis Vuitton, Virgil Abloh, he told an amazing story. Jones elaborated on how he, Virgil, and Kanye West used to all sleep in his living room when they were trying to make it. Kanye and Virgil literally shared a sofa. It brought Jones to a very emotional point when he summed it up humbly by saying, “It’s nice so go full circle with friends.” That Saturday marked a special day for both Kim Jones and Dior, and that is attributed to the pair’s immaculate splendor. The future awaits for Jones at Dior, but one thing’s for sure, it will definitely consist of integrity and honesty withing the French house.
My name is Harrison Downard, an I was born in Evergreen, Colorado. Over the years, I’ve been heavily involved in my youth group at Central United Methodist...
