March 24, 2025 |
Aside from the clothes, the first thing you remember from a legendary fashion show is its soundtrack. Inside 10 Magazine Issue 74, we spotlight 10 musicians and sound engineers who are adept in masterminding catwalk scores that have gone on to become certified fashion moments in their own right. First up, the legendary Honey Dijon.
With a wardrobe as enviable as her vinyI collection, Dijon’s ties to fashion run deed. Her longest relationship has been with Kim Jones, but she’s also worked with Anthony Vaccarello, Acne, Ricardo Tisci, Daniel Lee and Dsquared2 for afterparties and events, photographer Ethan James Green for Vogue Italy and Duran Lantink on videos. Chic beats.
Honey wears top and shorts by RALPH LAUREN
What does music bring to a fashion show?
Music is the emotional component of a fashion show alongside the clothes, lighting, staging, hair and make-up. It opens the senses and creates adrenaline and excitement of anticipation. It’s the same as creating a score for a movie. Music creates tension and release and draws the audience into the dream and vision of the story the designer has created. Silence is also very powerful. In fact, a show devoid of music can have much more impact than one with.
What’s your approach to creating a fashion show soundtrack?
It’s bringing to life the emotion of the collection and collaborating with the designer on what they envision that season [should] feel like sonically. They usually present the music they listen to while designing or [that reflects] the spirit of the collection. I have even done edits and remixed my own music for shows and afterparties. Research is really the whole approach to creating something singular and unexpected.
How do you work with a designer?
It’s purely collaborative in the sense that many designers already have a vision of the sound they want for the show, but it’s your job to bring clarity and precision. It can be as simple as [finding] one song for the entire show or as intense as multiple tracks that need micro-editing, blending, volume adjustments between transitions and cohesion. There have been instances where I spent weeks creating a soundtrack and the night before the show scrapped everything because it wasn’t right. The looks could have changed or the mood or even timing. They propose and you propose and sometimes you bring in things that were never considered that end up as the show music. It’s musical chairs and can be very intense.
Which track or artists have you used the most?
I would say the music of Arthur Russell. His rich body of work from classical to disco touches so many people. It’s intellectual, spiritual, experimental and the perfect vibration for shows. He literally has something for everyone.
What makes the perfect finale track?
I feel the opening track is almost more important than the finale. The finale is a period at the end of a sentence and the opening track starts the conversation. It sets the tone. It also depends if a designer is showing at the beginning of the season or the middle or the end, what time of day and location. So many factors are taken into consideration for sound design. The finale track should leave the audience filled with excitement about what they just experienced visually.
What musical fashion show moments stand out for you?
The Louis Vuitton AW12 menswear collection with [music produced by] Giorgio Moroder and the house’s SS16 menswear collection with [a live DJ set from Nile Rodgers. Talk about a dream come true to work with such pioneers and legends. Both musicians are the founding fathers of disco and it was mind-blowing to get so close to the sun. I’m still in awe. My love of house music culture got me here.
What music genres define you?
Definitely house music and disco. I also deeply love jazz, industrial, ’80s and ’70s soft rock. I have so many musical influences that touch me and define me. Growing up in a rich musical city such as Chicago has left an indelible impression on me. Music without borders.
What’s one fashion show you wish you’d created the soundtrack for?
Azzedine Alaïa‘s September 5, 1985, show at the Palladium [nightclub] in NYC. For me this is one of the most iconic and important fashion shows ever. The staging, the models, the clothes. Azzedine is one of my favourite designers in the world next to Stephen Sprouse, whose 1984 fashion show at The Ritz [club] in NYC is another one. [The producer and DJ] Justin Strauss did that. That would have been a cool one. I wasn’t around for either but in my dreams that would have been fab!
Which designer has the best musical taste?
Musical taste is so subjective and every designer is different. My longest collaboration, however, has been with Kim Jones. His knowledge is impeccable. In fact, our friendship formed through our similar taste in music and our love of the queer cult film Paris Is Burning. He loves everything from [Chicago D]/producer] Ron Hardy to Max Richter. We are musical soulmates.
Which three records would you save in a fire?
Aja by Steely Dan [1977], Nightclubbing [1981] by Grace Jones and Journey with the Lonely [1992] by Lil Louis.
THE MUSIC MAKERS
Creative Editor GARTH ALLDAY SPENCER
Portrait by JAKUB KOZIEL
Taken from 10 Magazine Issue 74 – MUSIC, TALENT, CREATIVE – on newsstands now. Order your copy here.
