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Statement of interest

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Tessa Chanin Bristol

Kim Jones is dressed in humble chinos, clutching an improvised breakfast in one hand while the other puts the finishing touches to a store display. He blends in seamlessly with his busy team as they prepare a pop-up shop at Lane Crawford; so much so, in fact, that the only evidence suggesting he might be the creative head of Dunhill is the remake of a 1936 watch-on-a-key pendant by the brand hanging around his neck.

'You do your job but you have to be true to your- self and what you wear,' the thirtysomething Briton says. 'If you're scrubbing around on the floor all day and working on a pattern, or working on boards and things, it's not always practical to be dressed up. I'm very lucky in that my work speaks for itself.'

When Jones was named creative director of Dunhill in 2008 - the only person to have filled the post since Alfred Dunhill himself - it caused more than one pair of perfectly plucked eyebrows to rise. The fashion industry knew Jones best for the casual sportswear and streetwear looks he created for brands such as Topman, Umbro and his eponymous label. Having barely settled into his role at the luxury manufacturer (a 'sleeping giant', as he admitted at the time), Jones was named menswear designer of the year at the 2009 British Fashion Awards and today Dunhill is thriving from the injection of energy. Former sceptics are now murmuring approvingly about how they knew all along that he was perfect for the job.

It isn't Dunhill that has brought Jones back to Hong Kong, though; Lane Crawford has invited him to share his personal views on menswear and modern tailoring. Yet working on a brand steeped in 117 years of British heritage has rubbed off.

'The concept that I had on my mind for this pop- up store was gentlemen in general,' he says. 'I took inspiration from my favourite gentlemen's club, the Royal Geographical Society.'

He points out the wall graphics - reprints of the club's archives, dating back to the 1800s, transformed into pop culture by their new context.

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