When it comes to creating fashion hype, Kim Jones is a maestro. You just have to look at the designer’s internet-breaking collab with Supreme, when he was at Louis Vuitton in 2017, to understand this is a designer who knows how to curate total pandemonium.
The designer’s latest big surprise will undoubtedly cause just as much noise. For Dior’s first-ever (!!) co-branded, ready-to-wear collection, Jones has partnered with Sacai’s Chitose Abe.
Speaking with WWD, Jones said: “Sacai is one of my first stops when I go to Japan. I’ve always loved [Chitose Abe] and I just think she’s one of the coolest women in the world. And we talked about doing this since I was at Vuitton, and then finally it happened.”
Described as a “creative conversation between two designers, two heritages and two cultures”, Sacai’s hybridised sportswear meets Dior’s technicality for a 57-piece capsule that mixes Japanese workwear and denim with tailored bombers, floral knits and deconstructed overcoats. Most of the pieces come stamped with a combined brand logo – “Sacai” is slotted within the i of Dior – paired alongside berates crafted by Stephen Jones and pearl-infused gold and silver chains.
Sacai’s signature utilitarian hallmarks – drawstrings, pockets, nylon finishes – can be seen across key Dior bags, like the Saddle, as well as chunky Explorer boots. The collaboration will begin to roll out worldwide from this November.
This isn’t the only exciting collaboration Abe has set this year. In July, the designer will finally reveal her one-off couture collection designed for Jean Paul Gaultier which has been delayed through the pandemic. Speaking to WWD, Abe said: “It’s a very challenging time, still, even in Japan. But we are starting to travel again and working on some retail projects. I am always moving forward, even if it means that it needs to be taken step by step.”
Photography by Brett Lloyd.
