Kim Jones - Designer

[tourbillions]

But who will do the man and who will do the woman ?

Obviously its a gender fluid brand.

 

[Nimsay]

Chitose Abe could do an amazing Dior Femme.

 

[FashioNarrating]

JWA doing DH and MGC remaining at W would be a management related catastrophé I think

Well they already sort of have that at LV.. Nicolas and MAS are pushing tricky silhouettes that get worn mostly front row by their brand ambassadors, the bags are made for rich tourists, and the menswear is oversized, brightly-colored stuff for rappers to brag about.
LVMH is hardly going to find - or even look for - a single person willing to do all of Dior (womenswear AND menswear with all the accessories they push AND couture AND all the events one has to attend as a CD, pun intended) bcs that is A LOT of work, which is probably also why they never even tried it. Galliano burnt out, it was too much for Raf as well, and the menswear was kind of a separate entity from the start, no one tried to match the womenswear like Prada, Marni or Jil Sander have been doing since ever.
As for Kim Jones, he would likely be a match for Burberry, since he does corporate luxury rather convincingly and could probably give them the not-too-fashiony-yet-aspirational image they want.

 

[Grets]

This was so predictable considering how the decline in streetwear and most customers opting for Pharrel LV

 

[nationalsalt]

Assuming LVMH have already decided if / when Jonathan Anderson will be leaving Loewe / taking over Dior mens and womens / the Proenza boys coming to Loewe - I'm curious why they don't just announce it all at the same time?

What do they have to gain from dragging it out and announcing everything separately?

Is it simply good PR / publicity to get people speculating as a form of free brand advertising?

 

[carla56]

So it’s fair to say that JWA is going to be the CD for all the fashion side of Dior.
That’s one huge team if that happens.

It’s really a crazy amount of collections… and what about his own brand? He’s going to close it as Vaccarello’s?

 

[LostInNJ]

Assuming LVMH have already decided if / when Jonathan Anderson will be leaving Loewe / taking over Dior mens and womens / the Proenza boys coming to Loewe - I'm curious why they don't just announce it all at the same time?

What do they have to gain from dragging it out and announcing everything separately?

Is it simply good PR / publicity to get people speculating as a form of free brand advertising?

Perhaps out of respect for the fact that neither JWA or MGC have shown their final collections for the houses they are presently working for?

I think people are still forgetting that very few of the rumors floating out there have been officially confirmed, as in by the brands themselves and the people who are taking over.

Well they already sort of have that at LV.. Nicolas and MAS are pushing tricky silhouettes that get worn mostly front row by their brand ambassadors, the bags are made for rich tourists, and the menswear is oversized, brightly-colored stuff for rappers to brag about.
LVMH is hardly going to find - or even look for - a single person willing to do all of Dior (womenswear AND menswear with all the accessories they push AND couture AND all the events one has to attend as a CD, pun intended) bcs that is A LOT of work, which is probably also why they never even tried it. Galliano burnt out, it was too much for Raf as well, and the menswear was kind of a separate entity from the start, no one tried to match the womenswear like Prada, Marni or Jil Sander have been doing since ever.
As for Kim Jones, he would likely be a match for Burberry, since he does corporate luxury rather convincingly and could probably give them the not-too-fashiony-yet-aspirational image they want.

While it isn't nearly as large a business as CD, PP managed to do it at Valentino.

 

[90sfan]

Kim Jones is the worst! So shocking to know he already has Burberry lined up for him.
What were they thinking?!?!?

 

[nationalsalt]

Perhaps out of respect for the fact that neither JWA or MGC have shown their final collections for the houses they are presently working for?

Yeah, good point. It would suck to be MGC reading endless excited articles about JWA taking over when you're still doing the job.

 

[plentyofhorns]

Kim Jones is the worst! So shocking to know he already has Burberry lined up for him.
What were they thinking?!?!?

Tbh he’s kind of perfect for Burberry. He’ll do boring, inoffensive collabs and whatever else the suits want. Maybe he can pull out a bit of his LV Homme mojo and make a few good checked outfits

 

[LadyJunon]

The WWD article is kinda bitchy and shady, especially the first part:

Dior’s New Creative Era Begins
With the resignation of Kim Jones, artistic director of its men's collections, Dior is beginning a design renewal that could see Jonathan Anderson take over the brand's creative reins.

By Miles Socha
January 31, 2025, 3:00am

The gears are in motion for creative renewal at Dior.

On Friday, the French fashion house said Kim Jones has decided to leave his position as artistic director of men’s collections after a fruitful and acclaimed seven-year run.

The development is sure to further fuel speculation that Loewe fashion star Jonathan Anderson may soon be installed at Dior, a possibility mooted for months – and discussed openly by luxury analysts.

“Dior needs newness to recapture market attention,” analyst Luca Sola, head of global luxury goods at Bernstein, told WWD on Friday, calling Jones’ exit “a step in the right direction.”

“Our job is to ascertain the health of the businesses and their prospective value as deserving capital allocation choices for institutional investors. And the luxury industry is all about creativity, product appeal and desirability,” Solca explained. “There is a reason why creative directors are paid what they are.”

In a brief statement shared Friday morning, Dior expressed “its deepest gratitude” to Jones, who has “accelerated the development of men’s collections internationally and has greatly contributed to the worldwide influence of the house by creating an inspiring wardrobe that is both classic and contemporary, and connected to some artists of our time.”

The British designer‘s resignation came one week after he paraded Dior’s fall 2025 menswear on a minimalist set of grand, white staircases – and was decorated as a Knight of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest civilian decoration.

There was no mention of any successor in the release, and Dior declined further comment.

Jones’ next move could not immediately be learned, though it is understood he may be plotting new creative challenges beyond fashion.

“It was a true honor to have been able to create my collections within the house of Dior, a symbol of absolute excellence,” Jones said in the statement. “I express my deep gratitude to my studio and the ateliers who have accompanied me on this wonderful journey. They have brought my creations to life.

“I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the artists and friends I have met through my collaborations. Lastly, I feel sincere gratitude towards Bernard and Delphine Arnault, who have given me their full support,” he added.

Delphine Arnault, chairman and chief executive officer of Christian Dior Couture, said she was “extremely grateful for the remarkable work done by Kim Jones, his studio, and the ateliers. With all his talent and creativity, he has constantly reinterpreted the house’s heritage with genuine freedom of tone and surprising, highly desirable artistic collaborations.”

One of the world’s most prominent menswear designers, Jones also logged seven years at Louis Vuitton before joining Dior, parlaying his zest for exotic travel into ultra-luxurious collections with understated cool and sly functionality. Three months ago, Jones also stepped down at Fendi after an eventful four-year collaboration that saw the Roman house dabble with collaborations and destination shows.

His successor at Fendi has yet to be named. His title there was artistic director of haute couture, ready-to-wear and fur collections for women. In his absence, Silvia Fendi is now overseeing all the collections until a successor is named.

To be sure, Jones catapulted Dior menswear onto the radar of hype beasts by collaborating with the likes of Kaws, Daniel Arsham, Shawn Stussy, 1017 Alyx 9SM, and Raymond Pettibon.

In 2020, roughly 5 million people – about the population of Ireland or New Zealand – registered for a chance to buy his limited-edition Air Jordan 1 OG Dior sneakers.

Over the last few years, his collaborations have been more esoteric and varied, with celebrities like Travis Scott, cultural institutions including the Charleston Trust, and leading artists including Amoako Boafo, Kenny Scharf, Hajime Sorayama, Peter Doig and, most recently, South African master potter Hylton Nel for Dior’s spring 2025 collection.

At Dior, Jones also accrued a reputation as a gifted showman. Sets for his shows have featured a 39-foot tall robot sculpture, replicas of the Pont Alexandre III bridge and Christian Dior’s Granville home, and hydraulic lifts that made models rise and then disappear from the runway.

He added itinerant shows to his workload at Dior, which reached a zenith in 2022 with a men’s pre-fall collection unveiled against the backdrop of the pyramids of Giza near Cairo, Egypt.

Before Jones, Belgian designer Kris Van Assche was at the creative helm of Dior Homme from 2007 to 2018 and Hedi Slimane from 2000 to 2007. Patrick Lavoix was creative director of Christian Dior Monsieur from 1992 until Slimane arrived, changed the name of the brand to Dior Homme and ramped up its influence.

A popular, peripatetic figure on the fashion scene, Jones counts a slew of famous friends – from Demi Moore and David Beckham to Donatella Versace, Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss – and cultivates numerous interests outside of fashion, including the Bloomsbury Group, botany, zoology and “Star Wars” paraphernalia.

In recent years his name has been floated for a variety of European fashion houses, including Versace, Burberry and Armani.

A graduate of Central Saint Martins in London and a globe-trotter extraordinaire, Jones has had a storied fashion career, with John Galliano snapping up his graduate collection.

His own menswear label, launched in 2003 and prized for its sporty, streetwise flair, lasted for eight seasons and attracted the attention of Dunhill, where he was creative director from 2008 to 2011.

In 2020, the designer was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire in Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours List for services to fashion. The same year, the Council of Fashion Designers of America handed him the International Men’s Designer of the Year Award,

In 2019, WWD honored Jones as its Menswear Designer of the Year at its flagship Apparel and Retail CEO Summit.

Jones also took home British Fashion Awards in 2006, 2009, 2019 and 2021. Early in his career, he also worked for Alexander McQueen, Mulberry, Hugo Boss and Umbro.