Fashion
Dior Men’s Designer Departs, Leaving Unanswered Questions
The exit of Kim Jones, the label’s creative director since 2018, was abrupt but not unexpected.
Just a week ago, Kim Jones marched out onto an ice rink-size runway in Paris, taking a bow at the conclusion of his latest show as the men’s creative director at Dior.
That show would be his last.
On Friday, Mr. Jones, a British fashion designer who has held that role since 2018, announced he was leaving the brand.
“It was a true honor to have been able to create my collections within the house of Dior, a symbol of absolute excellence. I express my deep gratitude to my studio and the ateliers who have accompanied me on this wonderful journey,” Mr. Jones said in a news release announcing his departure.
In the statement, Delphine Arnault, the chief executive of Dior, thanked Mr. Jones for his “remarkable work.”
“With all his talent and creativity, he has constantly reinterpreted the house’s heritage with genuine freedom of tone and surprising, highly desirable artistic collaborations,” Ms. Arnault said.
It was only a week ago, in the hours after Mr. Jones’s final Dior show, that Ms. Arnault and her brother Antoine stood in the audience with members of Mr. Jones’s staff, designers like Zac Posen and celebrities including Kieran Culkin to watch Mr. Jones receive the Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur medal from Anna Wintour. In light of the latest news, that award could be seen as the bow tied around his design career at Dior.
