Introducing: Dior Tears by Kim Jones & Tremaine Emory
This article was published on December 1 and updated on December 4
Next up for Dior? A collection "guest-edited" by Tremaine Emory, Denim Tears founder and current Supreme creative director.
Alongside Dior's Fall 2023 collection — a separate affair from the Emory partnership — the collaborative "Dior Tears" collection debuted on December 2 at Cairo's Grand Egyptian Museum. The final resting place of Tutankhamun's treasures is a fittingly exquisite location for a collaboration of this caliber.
"This line celebrates the inventiveness of the house of Dior and the strength of its creative dialogues," the French house said in a statement.
Described as a "dialogue between New York and Paris via New Orleans," Dior Tears expands on Tremaine Emory's storytelling ethos by unraveling the history of jazz.
Collegiate styles like sweater vest and polos speak to the preppy style of the Black musicians, scholars, and activists during the early 20th century.
Textiles like mohair and denim mingled with Dior prints across the French house's sneaker silhouettes, reiterating not only the merge of creative minds but the blending of Black arts with European culture.
During the Parisian jazz age, many Black musicians migrated to the French city, resulting in a sound infused with European and African influences.
Dior Tears naturally saw Dior's oblique monogram meet the Denim Tears' Cotton Wreath motif, decorating pieces like denim ensembles, Birkenstock-esque mules, and — as we hoped — the famed Dior Saddle bag.
There were plenty more noteworthy pieces for both Dior and Denim Tears heads to gush over, including sweater vests, pullovers, fuzzy socks, and branded headwear with floral appliqué.
Allowing the Dior Tears collection to have its moment, Dior switched locations to Giza for its solo Fall 2023 menswear presentation.
Staged during sunset with the Great Pyramid as a backdrop, Dior's collection palette — a collective of greys, dusks, oranges, and yellows — strategically matched the scenery's feels.
When it comes to the label's Fall '23 offering, think Star Wars meets Dune with a contemporary twist. Streetwear silhouettes with a dose of gorpcore and sophistication made their way down the runway, epitomizing Kim Jones' design language and Dior's house codes. At the same time, there were some galactic prints and futuristic helmets, which added a little sci-fi edge.
Equally as starry was the show's guest list, which counted names like Robert Pattinson, Naomi Campbell, and Lewis Hamilton.
Jones, appointed creative director of Dior Men's in 2018, has since invited a long list of collaborators to co-design collections for the house. Notable examples include Daniel Arsham, who devised a series of Dior-branded Future Relics, Amoako Boafo (those painterly sweaters were works of art), and Kenny Scharf, who translated his vibrant, cartoon characters to bowling shirts and bags.
Jones most recently extended a hand to ERL's Eli Russell Linnetz, who brought his vision of California cool to the goliath of Parisian luxury for Spring/Summer 2023.
Emory, similarly, is no stranger to teamwork. Despite being just a few years old, Denim Tears has already teamed up with household names like Levi's and UGG for instantly sold-out collaborations.
