In 1947, Christian Dior traveled to the United States in celebration of his debut collection. The state of Texas was one of the couturier’s first stops, which provided an unfamiliar landscape full of canyons and cacti. Inevitably, the sun-baked desert and the spirit of America made an unforgettable impression on him.
Courtesy of Dior.
This morning in Paris, Dior‘s men’s artistic director, Kim Jones, returned to that idyllic mental state, rooted in Texas and its unusual terrain. Created in collaboration with the Texas-born musician Travis Scott, Dior presented its Spring/Summer 2022 collection entitled “Cactus Jack Dior”—an indication of Scott’s record label, Cactus Jack Records.
Courtesy of Dior.
The atmosphere for the show was set in a recreation of Monsieur Dior’s childhood rose garden, reimagined as a cactus garden as a nod to Scott’s upbringing in Houston. The same dusty topography and sunny skies Dior once studied were visually represented in a sun-drenched color palette of materials—from mauve and pistachio to pale blue and coffee brown.
Courtesy of Dior.
The looks that followed was a combination of quintessential codes from Jones and Scott, a mashup of two cultures and eras that may impact the identities of dress for many modern men in the upcoming seasons. Jones’ dedication to savoir-faire and tailoring held true to his identity as a couture designer, with sharp Tailleur Oblique suits, fluid trousers, and suede jackets cut with careful edges. Slim silhouettes, complemented by colorful accessories and inventive creations, were reminiscent of Mr. Dior’s original 1956 “Arrow” collection.
Courtesy of Dior.
Track pants are elevated with couture details; shorts feature elongated pockets that peek out from below the hemline; and washed t-shirts suggestive of tour merchandise are embellished with hand-painted detailing and embroideries. The collection overflowed with inspirational accessories—from jewelry and sunglasses to shoes and bags. Dior’s iconic Toile de Jouy is reimagined, becoming a Toile de Cactus emblem to portray a desert scene; and motifs of the original Toile appear as soutaches embroideries on suits instead.
Courtesy of Dior.
Most apparent throughout, though, was the new Dior logo. Featuring a series of hand-drawn graphics by Scott, we see the redone Dior logo appear on prints and embroidery, on slide shoes, Saddle bags, and more. The Dior Oblique is reimagined to spell out “Jack” and a diamond-shaped monogram from the 1960s appears in a new graphic logo canvas, too.
Courtesy of Dior.
Other details, like silver star cowboy belt buckles, are shrunken, appearing in a single-file line down pants; ornamental cactus collar pins feature chains that clasp to a hat above; and more scenes from Houston (including imagery drawn from Dior’s archive, the Cactus Jack character, visuals from imaginary trips) become patches and adorn leather souvenir jackets. Sneakers with sloped soles hark back to the ’90s, hats by Stephen Jones fuse a French Bob hat an American beanie, and keychains and belts by jewelry designer Yoon Ahn dangled with long, eye-catching stones. Special for the show, as well, was Jones’ first collaboration with the house’s high jewelry designer, Victoire de Castellane, on a cactus necklace that bloomed with precious gems.
Courtesy of Dior.
Continuing Jones’ admiration for and collaboration with artists, Dior also partnered with the contemporary artist George Condo to underscore the themes of the new collection. A sequence of unique, hand-painted shirts appeared in the show, which will soon be auctioned by Dior with proceeds going to the next generation of creatives through scholarships.
