Vibrant Colors: An Adventure for the Brand
Miami Art Basel Was the Inspiration

The 2014 Spring Collection, displayed at the Omotesando boutique for the renewal opening, was filled with lightness and playfulness. While maintaining the slim black suit that is the DNA of Dior Homme, volume and silhouette have been altered, infusing a casual atmosphere. The key motif is the "brush stroke" print fabric, inspired by the abstract expressionist painter Jackson Pollock, a representative of 20th-century America. The art, rendered with vibrant brushwork in cobalt blue and rust red against a black and white base, is incorporated from the jacket collars to summer knits and outerwear.





"Last November, I attended the opening of the Miami boutique and visited Art Basel, which was taking place concurrently. While there was a large contemporary art fair, cocktail parties and formal exhibitions were also happening on the beaches lined with palm trees. The contrast was incredibly intriguing. In terms of color, the imagery of intense brushstrokes on a white background, adorned with vibrant colors, was directly inspired by the beach scene. I was particularly struck by the novel sight of young people dressing up and heading to the beach. The way artists and pop stars go to the beach seeking enjoyment is the focus of this collection."

The renovated men's floor of the Omotesando boutique © Nacasa&Partners

Kris began by discussing the collection, but he also admitted that using particularly colorful hues for Dior Homme was "something I had almost never done, so it was an adventure and a challenge."

"Color ideas often come to me intuitively. I started preparing this collection in winter, and perhaps because I was in a cold environment, there was a part of me that wanted to use pop, bright, and positive colors. Also, since it's clothing for young people expressing themselves as they head to beach parties, I felt I had to incorporate optimistic and artistic colors. Exploring colors and directions unfamiliar to Dior freed me and allowed me to search for new paths with a sense of openness. I feel I was able to create a more artistic and relatable image than what could be achieved on a catwalk."

The New Collection Catalog Created with M/M Paris
A Good Collaboration Offers a Different Interpretation of the Collection

The catalog for this 2014 Spring Collection was produced under the art direction of the artist duo M/M Paris, who continue to send out multifaceted designs from their base in Paris. M/M Paris, formed in 1992 by Michael Amzalag and Mathias Augustyniak, is known as a話題 (topic of conversation) unit that influences the fashion scene through collaborations with numerous renowned fashion brands and top artists like Björk and Madonna.





The catalog was shot on the Mediterranean island of Corsica. According to M/M Paris's Michaël's official comment, "For Kris, who was inspired by Miami Art Basel, we recreated our own 'land art,' imagining guests landing on the moon. We redesigned geometric art pieces, expressing them like a boutique installation set." Kris continues:

From the 2014 Spring Collection catalog © Karim Sadli

"As I mentioned earlier, the new collection is strongly influenced by the presence of beaches in the art scene. However, looking at it from a broader perspective, I realized that young people dressing up to enjoy holidays and leisure time isn't just a scene in Miami; it's a universal desire sought after in any place or time, whether day or night, at a party or at work. From that viewpoint, Corsica is a 'no man's land.' It doesn't evoke a specific location, so it can sometimes be like the moon. Furthermore, what I most wanted to convey with this shoot is that dressing up like pop stars is a universal need for young people in any era. In that sense, the catalog also reflects the dreamlike quality found in the LP jackets of 1980s boy bands."

Artistic Presentations in Boutiques
A Space to Convey a Different Message Than the Catwalk

The world of the catalog, shot in Corsica, was also adopted for the special installation created exclusively for the Omotesando boutique to celebrate its renewal opening.

"While there's the presentation of models walking the catwalk, I've always thought there's another way to convey a message through artistic presentations in boutiques. For the Omotesando boutique, we aimed to interpret the art pieces from the catalog in a three-dimensional form to communicate them to customers. In other words, it was an idea born from pursuing a form that could be viewed with intimate familiarity. Since this was our first real installation with M/M Paris, recreating the world of the catalog in Omotesando was truly a challenge."

The special installation, open for a limited time © Nacasa&Partners

Indeed, Kris has proactively sought to deliver messages through avenues other than the catwalk. For instance, at the opening of the aforementioned Miami boutique, he presented the short film "CAN I MAKE THE MUSIC FLY," created with world-renowned photographer Bruce Weber. Simultaneously, his statement about wanting to express the desire of young people who dress up even on the beach not just as the pursuit of Miami's pop stars and artists, but as something for any young man, reaffirms Dior Homme's stance of communicating the brand through various approaches, from the artistic to the real.





"I've visited Japan many times over the past decade, and Japanese men are the most fashionable and incredible in the world. I expect that both this collection and the installation will be well-received by men of all types in Japan. Incidentally, starting with the 2014 Spring Collection, Dior Homme will now present collections four times a year, for Spring, Summer, Autumn, and Winter. This reflects the brand's rapid growth; what were once considered pre-collections for Spring and Autumn have now gained the same presence as the main collections. Going forward, by giving each of the four seasons a distinct identity and story, we aim to enhance the presence of each collection and convey a specific message in the boutique each time."




DIOR HOMME OMOTESANDO
Jingumae 5-9-11 B1F, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo
Tel. 03-5464-6263


CHRISTIAN DIOR
Tel. 0570-200-088