The designer Kim Jones has been releasing snapshots of his collaboration with the artist Brian Donnelly for the past few days on Instagram. Today the prolific social media fan enlisted his friends including Kim Kardashian A$AP Rocky and Skeptagram to pose with Donnelly’s knitted Kaws dolls, the dolls were wearing tiny black Dior Homme suits. Donnelly is the kind of contemporary artist and personality Jones has on direct dial; the two are also good friends. Jones is a truly modern designer who embraces contemporary culture and has an instinctive feel for what’s happening in the great “out there” before it reaches the rest of us. He surrounds himself too with a raft of creatives like his friend and jewellery designer Yoon Ambush and the milliner Stephen Jones. They’re all part of the exciting network of talent he incorporates into his design world. And all that just adds to the anticipation and excitement surrounding Jones’ first show as the new Creative Director of Dior Men. ‘Kim Jones fuses reference to Haute Couture with sportswear’ read the show notes with ‘music by Diplo’. Translated on the catwalk this meant softer shaped suits with a rounded and elegant shoulder line; a shirt had a cowl neck at the back. Another section, based on M. Dior’s love of his garden had echoes of “femme fleurs”, a print used in his women’s couture line. Indeed the whole wardrobe had a couture sensibility. Jones has spent hours in the archive at Dior HQ looking at “the master’s” work and this afternoon it all came together in a cohesive modern wardrobe. A quick word on bags: bread and butter business at the French house. The saddle bag, that famous shape based on a horse’s saddle, and touted by celebrities galore in the ‘90s, and more recently resurrected for the Dior womenswear line to become summer’s new it-Bag, is now available for men, but this time it’s a bum bag in grey leather. The whole thing was a tour de force and exceptional in every way. We feel so proud of Kim Jones here at 10: he’s an incredible designer.
Photographs by Jason Lloyd-Evans
