Kim Jones presented, during the Online Paris Fashion Week, the new Dior Homme SS21 Collection, in collaboration with the Ghanese artist Amoako Boafo. After meeting, in 2019, at the Rubel Museum in Miami, the two instantly connected over their love for Africa. Jones spent his youth in Botswana, Tanzania, Etiopia, Kenya and Ghana, and always take inspiration from African culture for his collection (even for his latest collab with Jordan). The menswear looks feature bold silhouettes, with the collar of the bomber jackets decorated with bows, shirts paired with high wasted shorts and smoking belts. The sartorial outfits alternate with tridimensional knitwear that takes inspiration from Boafo’s art. The colour palette goes from neon tints to pale pink and blue. Then stripes and the Dior Oblique print mesh with floral designs on the jacquard outfits or on the button-up shirts, as well as the work of Boafo reproduced on the tops. The accessories include leather beret designed by Stephen Jones, jewellery for men inspired by marine chains, men’s bags like a mini trunk bag, boots and sandals with a sole in rubber and rope.
The Dior Homme Spring/Summer 2021 collection titled “PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST” was presented digitally with two short films directed by Chris Cunningham and Jackie Nickerson. In the first one, we can see the process behind the collection and the artisans in the Dior’s atelier working on a beautiful trench that reproduced one of the works of Boafo. The lines traced by the artist decorate the outwear piece from the collection that reveal the complete design once the coat is buttoned up.
While the second short film is a teaser for the new Dior Homme collection and shows Boafo working on his ongoing series that represent the black community throughout a material painting technique, that reminds us of the work of the Austrian expressionist Oskar Kokoschka.
