STYLE Edit: Dior Men takes on punk rock – with spray paint and wild animal prints
The art-centric fashion collection is a collaboration between artistic director Kim Jones and punk rock artist Raymond Pettibon
Dior Men unveiled a new line of accessories at the winter 2019 show, featuring imprints, motifs and house codes once used by founder Christian Dior – but reinvented for today’s audience. According to Dior’s notes, the collection was a matter of “examining the past, [and] making it speak to the future”.
An important aspect of this examination was the exploration of Dior as a man. He was a gallerist and art lover before he founded the fashion house. Acknowledging this, Kim Jones, artistic director of Dior Men, collaborated with punk rock artist Raymond Pettibon on an art-centric fashion collection.
Pettibon became recognised in the 1980s California punk rock scene for his ability to use American iconography with anti-authoritarian undertones.
The winter show curated Pettibon’s existing drawings, along with new works on print, knit, jacquard and hand-embroidered pieces.
For accessories, Pettibon designed an exclusive spray-painted white leopard motif, inspired by the panthère house code, which can be seen over Dior Oblique jacquard in the new Saddle and Roller bags.
The panther print was introduced in Dior’s collection in 1947, alongside tiger and leopard patterns in the form of knitwear and “intarsia furs”, a method of piecing together different furs to form a mosaic of colours, textures or patterns.
The iconic animalier motif continues in the B23 high-top sneakers, laser-etched with panther spots on jacquard to subtly reveal the name “Dior”. Similar to other variations, the B23 retains the textured Dior logo on the rubber sole.
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