Let’s face it: Some of the most desirable fashion items we hanker for come from the menswear department. When those items come out from a collaboration between Dior Men’s Kim Jones and the O.G. of streetwear Shawn Stussy, the natural question to ask is: ‘When will it drop?”
That was the question on our minds when Dior Men presented its Pre-Fall 2020 collection in Miami. (FYI: The Dior press office here reveals that the shoes from the collection might drop as early as April while the rest of the collection will drop from June or July onwards). After all, Jones has been known for his blockbuster tie-ups with the likes of Kaws and Supreme in the past.
Having Shawn Stussy, who left his namesake company in 1996, is both a big coup and love song for Jones who has gone public about how he grew up worshipping the label. Stussy was the man who defined street culture in the ’80s with his amalgamation of youth cultures from the surf, punk and skate scenes and – some may argue – made re-appropriating the logos of other fashion houses ironic before the likes of Palace and Vetements decades later. But one of the most iconic hallmarks of Stussy’s work is his legendary typography. That graffiti-style scrawl remains a signature of the Stussy brand name till today and its influence is ever-present in this Dior Men collection.
The knits, ties, Dior Saddle bags, bucket hats, sweatshirts are among the merchandise that sport the Shawn Stussy-designed Dior name. Rendered in scrawny yet forcefully-written letterings, it effectively creates a new Dior monogram print with a brazenly youthful and almost D.I.Y appearance. The print also appears on two versions of the popular Dior B23 high cuts – one in a Tropicana-inspired degrade hue and another in black and white. In an interview with Another Man, Stussy revealed that creating the print was a breeze: “A man and a felt pen, that’s about as simple as [the prints] get. They requested a logo or two, a new bee design, and work on a repeating pattern if it feels right. Natural and stress-free is a good explanation, I guess.”
