ON A warm spring evening last week in Venice, California, Kim Jones took a moment to present Dior from a different angle. A hallmark of his time at the French luxury fashion House has been his on-going motivation to bring a kaleidoscope of different creatives in with each collection to add something new to the Dior narrative.
But this season, the change in perspective was more than just the swap of the stoney eighth arrondissement with sandy Los Angeles, the British designer decided to work alongside someone on every aspect of the spring 2023 collection.
Exclusive: Making of Scenography. Photograph: Harry Eelman
Exclusive: Making of Scenography. Photograph: Harry Eelman
Exclusive: Making of Scenography. Photograph: Harry Eelman
“With Eli Russell Linnetz, not only do I like his work but working with a younger designer on Dior Men and seeing things from his perspective, felt incredibly inspiring,” explains Jones on his decision to collaborate with ERL founder. “It was both familiar and revelatory; reaffirming why we both dreamed about working in fashion in the first place”.
Breathing a new element of life into Dior through the merging of two designing powerhouses, the innovation and modern take on clothing with Eli finds an equilibrium with Jones’ seamless tailoring and unwavering eye for detail.
“We started looking at the Dior archive from the year of my birth, 1991,” states Eli in the show notes on how they began this collection.
“This was during Gianfranco Ferré’s period as artistic director and was a part of the history of Dior that felt completely fresh for both Kim and me. The idea of ‘maximalism’ comes from there and for me – a coming together of chaos and perfectionism. There’s a collision of moments in time and history throughout the collection, of cross-generational and spatial meetings in time”.
Not straying too far from his famous, and much-hailed, tailoring, suits arrive in relaxed proportions made from ocean-recovered polyester, Christian Dior’s favourite grey is a dominant hue in the collection finding itself on accessories and loosely fitted trousers, and school blazers get a mischievous Bel-Air reinvention – who knew the blending of juxtaposing synergies could be so cool?
But beyond the expected, it’s the new additions to the Dior sphere that make this collection a clear and considered hybrid of unassuming pieces that you immediately want. Exploring the style of this Western state has been evidently acknowledged as low-waisted denim trousers, ERL swirl hoodies and crystal chokers come together to signify the evolving handbook to what masculinity can be defined as.
Through cultivating a fresh identity with this hotly tipped designer, Jones has managed to use his platform to shine a light on what the new wave of designers are bringing to the industry while also pioneering a new direction for Dior.
The way in which his tenure here continues to permeate through the noise of what others are doing is credit to his inherent ability to look beyond himself once again making this collection a reappraisal of his magic touch.
by Imogen Clark