Kim Jones embraces diversity with Dior's first all-Black fashion show
With physical fashion shows still on hold for the moment, men's fashion week is currently taking place in Paris through a digital lens – and yesterday saw Kim Jones present Dior's latest collection, a collaboration with Ghanian artist Amoako Boafo through a series of videos, which confronted issues of diversity on the catwalk by featuring only Black models.
"It’s not political: we started this back in December," the menswear designer told The Guardian. "But one of the things designers can do is [reflect] the time they are in. For me, diversity is a natural thing; a reflection of the wider world."
The collection was presented through a series of films, one which was partly shot in London (where Jones is based) and partly in Boafo's studio in Ghana, while another followed more of a traditional catwalk setting.
The collection is entitled 'Portrait Of An Artist' and the designs directly reflect Boafo's paintings, with some of his work printed onto the clothes.
"I really, really, really love his work and I wanted to work with an African artist for a long time because I grew up in Africa and African art is something that has always been important to me," Jones explains in the film of Boafo, while the artist says that what he found most interesting about the project was "how they were able to transfer [his] finger painting technique onto clothes".
"You have a Breton stripe underneath an Amoako print so it’s a French, Ghanaian, Dior, Amoako vibe, all existing together," Jones told British Vogue. "It’s an exchange. I think people need to educate themselves as to who their consumers are, and realise that people from all different parts of the world can create something much more exciting,"
Jones' digital presentation is not the first virtual fashion week outing for the House of Dior, who last week – under womenswear artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri – released its autumn/winter 2020 haute couture story by way of a fashion film, Le Mythe Dior.
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