THIS CHARMING MAN. After seasons of going back and forth with various disciplines of tailoring, Kris Van Assche at Dior Homme shapes the collection rather differently this time around.
This season, he brings us parkas, denim and embroidery—details that do not directly spell typical Dior but are somehow re-contextualized to fit the aesthetics of the French luxury brand. But it can be said that the creative director focuses on individuality over brand identity for this new collection. And who is more inspirational than Monsieur Dior himself? Consequently, Van Assche blends the house’s famous Saville Row style with iconic pinstripe, complementing it with the founder’s personal charms and motifs: Lily of the Valley, the star, the heart and the coin. The leitmotifs then also extend further to footwear and accessories, where shoes, bags and wallets receive the “personalized” treatment of Monsieur Dior, each portraying luck, extravagance and playfulness at the same time.
Q&A with Kris Van Assche, Dior Homme’s creative director
Ronald Liem: How do you define your current aesthetics for Dior Homme?
Kris Van Assche: It is about offering a lot of choices and a lot of varieties. Dior Homme today is about high end tailoring on one side and high end streetwear on the other. So I use parkas, coats, jeans and sneakers, then mix them with the more tailored pieces.
RL: What is the inspiration behind the collection of Dior Homme this fall/winter?
KVA: The initial idea is to offer a wide scale of variety because luxury means choices. And there are a lot of Monsieur Dior’s elements in there. He is a big fan of handmade suits; he loved different fabrics, motifs and cuts so we work a lot with the high end tailoring. The embroideries, dots, stars, hearts and lilies are also a part of his archives.
RL: Yes, I find the suit embroidery particularly interesting.
KVA: Exactly, those embroideries are from a 1950s Dior couture piece but we used them in a very masculine way. I think it is interesting to use something from the fifties, put it in Dior Homme’s machine and have it transformed into a contemporary suit after.
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