MONSTER STYLE: Dior designer Kim Jones has teamed with rising Japanese artist Otani on a capsule menswear collection, marking his first new collaboration with a contemporary artist since 2021.
Represented by the Perrotin gallery, Otani specializes in ceramic sculptures, with recurring themes including bulging heads, anthropomorphic vases, children and animals.
The 24-piece Dior & Otani Workshop collection, due to land in Dior boutiques worldwide on Jan. 4, includes pieces such as sweaters and bomber jackets featuring a small green monster known as Tanilla. Clothing items are priced from 950 euros to 3,000 euros, with shoes retailing for 1,125 euros to 1,400 euros.
“I really admire Otani’s work. He is a key figure in the Japanese contemporary art world. Working with him is a nice reference to Monsieur Dior, who was a gallerist before being a couturier. The Tanilla monster designed by the artist gives a fresh and funny energy to this capsule collection,” Jones said in a statement.
A look from the Dior & Otani Workshop capsule collection.
Sky/Courtesy of Dior
The motif also makes an appearance on a denim overshirt, and knitwear emblazoned with Dior’s signature Oblique motif in burgundy and pink. The monster is paired with a stylized adaptation of the Dior logo on items such as a baseball cap, hooded sweatshirt and pouch.
Since taking over as artistic director of men’s collections at Dior in 2018, Jones has nurtured the thriving relationship between fashion and art through regular tie-ups with artists, though he changed tack in 2021 to broaden his collaborations to cultural institutions and other designers.
He has worked with leading artists including Kaws, Daniel Arsham, Kenny Scharf, Hajime Sorayama and Peter Doig, with whom he has presented a series of skiwear collections since their initial collaboration in 2021.
A look from the Dior & Otani Workshop capsule collection.
Sky/Courtesy of Dior