Creative Director of Dior Men – Kim Jones is no stranger to art-driven collaborations having worked with KAWS and Hajime Sorayama. The collection was showcased via a short film on Youtube, modelled by Black models. Ghanaian artist – Amoako Boafo and Jones’ partnership birthed cohesive pieces, full of character that blend their sensibilities.
Boafo’s finger painting technique creates uniquely vivid patterns and textures that, when transferred to fabric, comes to life. Boafo stated “I [do] portraiture and I do figuration. When I do portraiture, I like flat colours because I want a background that complements the portraits, not something that disrupts or takes away something.” This is very true; Jones’ carefully chosen colours, tones and textures follow the lead of Boafo’s art.
Boafo’s work is highly personal, from the muses to the methodology he uses when working with materials. Collaborating with Dior isn’t surprising as fashion is one of Boafo’s reference points. Boafo explains “Well, I love fashion, fashion inspires my work. So, I tend to look at characters that have that sense of style in fashion…If you look at some of the paintings like ‘Hudson in a Baby Blue Suit’ for example, he’s a model and I like his sense of fashion.”
The beginning of the collaboration started when Jones’ interest was piqued by Boafo’s exhibition at the Rubell Museum whilst he was in Miami for his own work. Jones stated “I really, really, really love his work and I wanted to work with an African artist for a long time because I grew up in Africa and African art is something that’s always been important to me.”
The process of creation allowed for Boafo’s art to speak for itself, whilst exploring it through a different medium. Regarding the styling of the collection, a perfect balance has been achieved finding way to complement Boafo’s creative character. Jones explains “…we looked at the idea of focusing on his life and his subjects and his portraits, creating something that is very Dior but a portrait of an artist that I greatly admire.”
A mutual love and respect for the process of art, and desire to share has created a collection with a firm narrative. Jones stated “In designing this collection, I wanted to share that passion and celebrate the power of his work, to help it become even better known.” Considering the fact a lack of diversity is a major flaw within the industry, it’s refreshing to see Black voices be amplified by a high profile design house like Dior.
Dior’s SS21 Men’s collection highlights the spirit of collaboration and cultural appreciation, distributing the story of an African artist. Beyond the clothes, the art and the artist have been paid the homage they deserve for their incredible talent. From the representation of Black models to the craft of a Black artist, hopefully we can see more collaborations like this in the near future.
Words by louise WORTHington – fashion contributor WRITER
Editor – charis crawford corri
Disclaimer- all images used within this article have been sourced from the Dior’s official websites and social media. Ragged Culture Publishing Ltd. does not own the copyright to the images within this article. All rights reserved.