Courtesy DIOR Men
Billed as a “hypercoloured” and “hyperreal” affair, Kim Jones’ latest DIOR collection was set to the backdrop of digitally-rendered constellations that served as the perfect planetarium to view his latest collection. Allusions to outer space remained central to the inner workings of the showcase with cartoonish sci-fi characters featuring prominently in prints and accessories throughout the show. These psychedelic figures came courtesy of the house’s latest artistic collaborator, Kenny Scharf.
Jones’ reputation for welcoming collaborators to the floor is no secret with the ever-growing roster of collaborators showing no signs of hitting a ceiling. However, Scharf’s inclusion as a co-collaborator feels like a decidedly more daring choice than Jones’ previous partnerships with KAWS, Shawn Stussy and Daniel Arsham, despite the acclaim those collaborations rightfully drew. The cynical sect of Fashion’s critics often pit Jones’ commercial success as a detractor from his ability to be unapologetically expressive but if one thing is apparent here, it’s that he’s allowed himself to have fun creating these looks. Pieces that lovingly embrace neon hues accent the customary slate greys, midnight blues and tobacco browns that you’d expect to see from a DIOR Men’s collection. In a world where many of us are largely confined to our immediate localities, an out of this world experience certainly wasn’t going to go remiss. With that said, the uber-cozy oblique monogrammed slippers may well be a subtle nod, to the WFH era we now reside in.
