Kim Jones is Leaving Dior After Seven Successful Years

After seven years at the pinnacle of luxury fashion, Kim Jones is parting ways with Dior.

Following a seven year stint at Louis Vuitton, Kim Jones parlayed his past success into his role Dior in 2018, taking over from the esteemed Kris Van Assche as Artistic Director.

One of modern fashion’s most revered kingpins, Jones has received heaps of praise over his tenure for tastefully pushing the boundaries across Dior men’s collections, making a point to honour the original Christian Dior’s love for the wider arts and natural world by blending said themes with contemporary design principles.

Under Jones’ direction, Dior introduced house staples such as the Converse-inspired B23 sneaker, alongside a revival of the Saddle Bag, which transcended its previous confines as a women’s-only accessory by featuring heavily in collaborations with brands like Alyx and Stone Island.

The iconic Bar Jacket received a similar treatment in Dior’s Winter ‘22 collection, in which Kim Jones once again proved there really aren’t any rules when it comes to fashion.

Collaborations played an integral role in Jones’ dominance at Dior in general, bringing cultural forces like Travis Scott, Nike and Shawn Stussy into the fold, where collections with guest designers Hajime Sorayama, Daniel Arsham and KAWS reinforced the crossing of boundaries between modern art and timeless couture.

For Fall ’22, Jones’ profiency as a cultural historian was on full display when Dior showcased a memorable, beatnik-inspired collection that reimagined the formative rebel style promoted by cult American writers Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, signalling the comeback of “Bob Dylan-core” before it returned to the mainstream late last year.

Jones’ final Fall 25 collection with Dior, which was only unveiled last week, received critical acclaim for how Jones steered the brand back in the direction of formality, revealing a minimalistic lineup that made no small claim about its main reference point of the great fashion revolution that occurred in the 1950’s and 60’s.

The show took place on a dream-like white staircase that could be interpreted as allegory for Jones’ and Dior’s synonymous rise within the past seven years.

The amicable split between Kim Jones and Dior marks the end of an era for the luxury fashion house, who will surely announce its next steps in the coming weeks. Some have speculated that Jones could even take the reins at Burberry, who are in need of commercial assistance after disappointing performance in recent years under the direction of former Creative Director Daniel Lee.