It's only Kim Jones' second show for Dior Men, yet he seems to have already crafted a leitmotif for his runway presentations. The giant 10-metre tall floral KAWS BFF sculpture that was revealed back in June, has now been overshadowed by a taller and sexier upgrade. She's shiny, has visor-like eyes that light up, and lasers create a sort of ripple effect when they hit her body. So long, KAWS BFF.
Artist Hajime Sorayama casually calls her "Yahoo" but asserts that she doesn't have a name. At 12 metres in height, the aluminium Dior-commissioned sculpture is the biggest that Sorayama has ever done. You might be more familiar with his illustrations of equally risqué female robots—a series he's been working on since 1978 called 'Sexy Robot'—and his work for American rock band Aerosmith's Just Push Play album cover in 2001. This collaboration with Kim Jones for Dior Men (just like KAWS) extends beyond the impressive show prop.
As Sorayama explains briefly in the interview clip above, his signature self-designed font that he uses for all his works is also used to brand 'Dior' on the sculpture. Kim Jones then took that as a way to unify the collection, by adding the Sorayama-designed branding onto ready-to-wear pieces as well as on the futuristic pre-fall 2019 saddle bag for men. The latter looked like it was ripped out of the pages of an anime set in a dystopian future.
It seems that the show sculptures inform what each collection is about. If spring/summer 2019's KAWS BFF was sculpted out of flowers to signify the softness of the collection, Yahoo's metallic and feminine form echo the use of high-gloss materials and metallic treatments. The collection after all, is an ode to Japan and it's fascination with constantly finding new ideas to revolutionise the future. And who doesn't love robots and machines, right?
Take a look at the gallery above to see some of the pieces Kim Jones has applied metallic treatments to, for the pre-fall 2019 Dior Men collection. And read our review of the show live from the front row in Tokyo.
