“THIS IS the lifeblood of Dior” writes Kim Jones in his show notes for his Spring-Summer 2025 collection for Dior. He’s speaking about the craft and the artisans of the House. He is also speaking about the succession of designers who have followed founder Christian Dior. Together, Jones is taking a moment to reflect on the continuity of the legacy with reference to South African ceramicist Hylton Nel.
“It’s an idea of parallel paths with different stories. It’s life-long work in ceramics and paintings and life-long work in fabrications and clothing. There is an idea of and dedication to art and the applied arts shared by all”.
So this is all encompassing idea of art that Jones focused on for SS25. Combining classic brand motifs with the work of Nel, the designer sought to uncover a more global and diverse idea of savoir-faire, discovering new techniques and measures to create a collection that once again merged the history of women’s couture with the utilitarian structure of menswear.
Silhouettes remained simple and structured but upon looking closer the beauty of handcraft and influence of archive by the hands of Dior’s atelier elevated the looks. Whilst from afar it all seemed practical, outerwear brought movement and tailoring nodded to more formal evening-wear.
Once more is Jones’ introduction of an Yves Saint Laurent coat sketched back in 1958 that was never realised until now. Acting as the core of the SS25 offering, the newly debuted piece informed more pieces as the collection unraveled, with more Saint Laurent nods echoed in the scarf collar from the Negatif AW1960 collection also re-appearing but this time in a mock ceramic structure.
Clogs, derbys and biker boots adorned the models, with practicality finding itself printed on the design ethos of the accessories this season. The Saddle is the main bag of the season, and on its 25th anniversary, finds itself in a more humble material composition of hardwearing canvas. Hats, on the other hand, were designed by Stephen Jones in conjunction with Earth Age, a South African company based in Cape Town, that commissions local craftsmen’s to hand crochet each cloche.
The accumulation of shared techniques across both time and space is a constant in Jones’ era at Dior. But his unfaltering ability to combine them in a contemporary manner, season upon season, is an ode to his leading position in menswear.
by Imogen Clark