The Dior’s Summer 22 Men’s collection – in collaboration with Travis Scott – was unveiled yesterday with a timely runway show. The collection, fittingly titled CactusJackDior – conceived from conversations with rapper Travis Scott and designer Kim Jones and the first of its kind at Dior – delivered everything we were expecting.
It’s clear the power duo understood the assignment, as all elements – from show to fonts & designs – kept on brand and on theme with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack persona. The stage was set on an arid, desert-styled runway, wildly furnished with gigantic mushrooms, cactuses (of course), roses and a bull skull – perfect for the Rodeo creator’s vibe. The runway along with mesmerised spectators were colourfully lit under hazy skies full of clouds – psychedelically switching from hues of orange to pink.
Much like Travis’ tunes and creativity in general, a lot of the show creatively relied on this idea of transitions – perhaps from reality into the unknown. As the models walked through the elaborately regal “CJ” gates, the design color palette moved on from lime greens, to pastel pinks & violets, before delving deep and finding solid ground in Travis Scott’s signature earthy tones of brown.
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Much emphasis was put on traditional shawled evening coats & jackets with double breasted closures and militant collars. The demure jackets were put against current reinterpretations of flared trousers – both of which Travis wore at the show himself. It was almost like a creative representation of the duality in Scott’s character. He – along with his dedicated supporters – share this dichotomous personality: reserved and mysterious, but sometimes an open and unapologetic rager.
There were a lot of unexpected firsts for this collection – of which we’re 100% here for. Designs also featured artwork from legendary contemporary artist George Condo, who is also famously known in the rap game for his collaborations for Kanye West’s Dark Twisted Fantasy Cover. Condo’s hand-painted shirts featured in the collection will be up for auction at Travis’ newly founded Parsons School of Design charity. The show also premiered the new “CactusJackDior” logo – a mashup of both fonts and styles – which was embroidered on a few of the statement pieces shown.
Yoon Ahn of AMBUSH and her eye for detail were again on hand, offering embellished cactus brooches for jackets, charmed belts, bracelets and championship-style rings. Each brooch had chains on the end, which sort of reimagined the days of the gentlemanly pocket watch. Maybe another nod to the tradition of Monsieur Christian Dior, which Jones has made imperative in his collections. Accessories also included rodeo-styled brown leather 2-in-1 saddlebags, with metal stirrup-inspired handles.
Travis Scott of course treated everyone to an exclusively curated soundtrack playlist: his rhythmic flow caught nostalgic hip-hop beats – including samples from Z-Ro’s Mo City Don – in a way that was calming, but still enough to get hyped up to.
Check out the collaborative collection between Travis Scott and Dior here below.
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See also: TRAVIS & KIM JONES COME TOGETHER IN A COLLISION OF WORLDS
See also: DIOR X SACAI IS OFFICIAL, HERE IS WHAT THE COLLABORATION ENTAILS
