how it’s made

The culture of fashion: Dior SS21 menswear ‘portrait of an artist’



Dior SS21 men Amoako Boafo

Some more menswear SS21 highlights. On the maximalist craft tip, Dior hit the top notes again with a fab collab with Ghanaian artist Amoako Boafo. (See the collection video here.)

Dior’s creative director Kim Jones first met him last year during Art Basel Miami. Boafo was the artist in residence of the new Rubell Museum, opposite Dior’s fall show venue. As Jones’ artist collaborations are now a mainstay of his collections (tying in nicely with Mr Dior’s gallerist past), it made perfect sense for the two to collaborate. Jones already has a connection to Africa having grown up in the continent, while Boafo has a connection to fashion, with his fantastically wardrobed portrait sitters always dressed in attention-grabbing prints and colour combinations. (more…)



On digital fashion weeks, craft and context



Loewe SS21 menswear

I’m catching up on the ss21 menswear collections that designers have been producing during lockdown.

An early trend is for three-dimensional or heavily crafted pieces and those with intricate surface decoration. Collaborations with artisans are another ‘thread’ to a brand story that designers can weave, showing support for their craft, or putting the spotlight on their own pattern makers.

Two standout videos I’ve enjoyed – Berluti and Loewe. (more…)



Trend report: What to steal from Dior men winter 2020



Kim Jones’ magic formula of collabs, couture techniques and club culture continues to hit the high notes for me. A few weeks after his Dior fall 2020 show, he presented his Dior winter 2020 at the Place de la Concorde in Paris. Where fall was casual, sporty and colour-saturated, winter is coolly majestic. (more…)



Trend report: What to steal from Dior men fall 2020



Dior Shawn Stussy men's fall 2020 by BRETT LLOYD

“I’m a commercial artist. I think things are going so well because I’m not afraid to do things that are commercial.”  And therein lies the success of Kim Jones. His Dior men’s fall collection shown last Tuesday was highly anticipated by me and my fashion cohorts as soon as the collab with Shawn Stussy was announced. (more…)