Giorgio Armani, the man, is a living legend. Speak the name to anyone at all, even one who is completely out of the fashion loop, and it’s highly unlikely that they’ve not heard of him. After all, the Armani name is now associated with luxury products that run the gamut from suiting to underwear, from home furnishings to hotels, to chocolates and cosmetics even. It is a veritable Italian empire that has extended far beyond the confines of fashion, making it a truly remarkable success story.
This story began just shy of five decades ago, when Armani founded his eponymous brand in 1975 at the age of 41, after years of designing for other Italian brands. He tells us that he’s not one to “really suffer regret” about starting the business relatively late. “I’m very happy with how things have turned out,” he says.
It has been good indeed. In 2014, the Giorgio Armani Group acquired the entirety of the Armani Exchange brand after a multi-year partnership with COMO Holdings’ husband-and-wife duo Ong Beng Seng and Christina Ong that began in 1994. The Giorgio Armani Group now owns almost every facet of its business, while engaged in license partnerships for its beauty and eyewear divisions. It’s a feat to be relished. Rumours were abound throughout the decades of various companies wanting to own a stake in the Giorgio Armani empire, yet Armani held steadfast in maintaining full control at the helm.
At Emporio Armani’s Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear show in Milan, Armani took his bow in front of the set’s lighthouse, a spotlight illuminating him. He flashed the same charismatic smile he’s been giving at the end of every show for decades, except that now, he’s on the cusp of turning 90 (on 11 July, by the way). It’s quite a sight to behold, that in the darkness of the show space, Armani’s presence felt like it filled the entire room—that’s how you know you’re looking at a legend.
ESQUIRE: What is an average work day for you?
GIORGIO ARMANI: That is hard to say as every day is different. My days are full, very full, but I like them like that. I follow a strict routine that affords me the time and space to work in a concentrated way, and this is what makes me happy.
ESQ: With fashion having gone through various changes and challenges in the past decades, what keeps you inspired even after so long?
GA: I rarely lose my inspiration. Though when it does happen, I resort to my pillars, starting with my tried and true, and by doing, again and again, new inspirations begin to arise. My first and greatest inspiration comes from the world and from observing people. I have always accompanied social changes, providing an elegant response to real needs. That is what I continue to aspire to.
ESQ: You had no formal fashion education before starting your own brand. And now, we do see such creative directors at the helm of big-named fashion brands. Do you think a formal fashion education is not requisite to be a good fashion creative?
GA: For me the creative process is instinctive. I know what I am aiming for, and I know what I like and when I have achieved it. I also know when it is not right and how to correct it. I am not sure that talent and creativity have anything to do with formal training, but I am certainly not averse to people getting formally trained. Picasso, after all, was formally trained, and he used this as the springboard for his extraordinary innovations.
ESQ: Are there young designers out there who have captured your attention?
GA: There are some I am curious about, but I would not wish to single anyone out.
ESQ: In a recent interview with Business of Fashion, you mentioned, “I don’t feel I can rule anything out” when it comes to the future of the business, including an acquisition or an IPO. Do you think about the future or are you one to take things as they come?
GA: I am involving, in my plans for the future of the company, a team that can steer the ship. Because my approach has been so determinedly consistent and clear, it is not hard to see how we can maintain the right course. A foundation has been established, and I have very capable heirs and close collaborators who will lead Giorgio Armani into the future and ensure that what I have created lives on; that the Group is kept stable over time and consistently adheres to the principles that are particularly important to me and that have always inspired my work as a designer and an entrepreneur.
ESQ: Italian fashion brands, more so than others, are more interested in keeping their businesses privately owned. Why do you think that is so?
GA: Our culture in Italy is of a fashion industry that is full of family businesses—often with the founders or family members still actively involved. This makes it difficult to see how a group might be formed, as the instinctive position of a family business is to preserve its independence.
ESQ: The Armani brand—across the many different lines—has a consistently elegant persona. What does elegance mean to you?
GA: For me, elegance is a disposition of the spirit that is reflected outwardly, something profound that is echoed in a manner of dressing, but also in the choice of an object. It is a way of being—an innate gift that has a great deal to do with an ability to combine items of clothing and colours as well as to choose shapes in order to give life to one’s own style, a signature character and look which leaves an understated yet lasting impression.
ESQ: Is there a particular male muse in mind when you’re designing menswear?
GA: My father, who was always well-dressed in tailoring from that time.
ESQ: Navy blue is essentially an Armani colour. What drew you to navy blue as a colour of choice for yourself as well as now a signature of Armani?
GA: Navy blue is my go-to colour and daily uniform: a deep, vibrant colour that I find calming and that I have always loved. Blue is a great alternative to black, with all the neutrality of that hue, but with an added element in that it is a colour. It matches my personality—pragmatic and reserved—and focuses other people’s attention on my actions and words.
ESQ: Are you sentimental about the past?
GA: I am not a nostalgic person. Nostalgia leads you to dwell on the past, and from the point of view of a designer, it can be very dangerous: you forget to move on, to develop, to explore. That is why I am resolutely focused on the present and the future. I do value the past, as the present is always built on the lessons of the past. And I have fond memories of my life and my work, my friends, travels and achievements. But I prefer to focus on what I will do today and tomorrow. I live in the moment, and the moment to come.
ESQ: If you were to look back on your fashion career, is there a moment that stands out to you?
GA: Undoubtedly the first positive feedback when I was starting out; that was the moment I realised that I had made a solid contribution to liberating men and women from rigidity in the way they dress by offering clothes with simple, natural elegance, and achieving my vision. And then the various awards that were confirmation that my job was always going in the right direction. Dressing Richard Gere for American Gigolo opened up a world for me to work with cinema and allowed me to reach beyond Italy... as well as gave me notoriety, which culminated with the cover of Time magazine in 1982—these are moments I will never forget.
ESQ: You’re still going strong. Is retirement something that you’ve considered?
GA: I don’t think I will ever stop working because dressing people is my life’s great passion. I feel that I have so much still to do and I am genuinely as excited about getting to my studio every day as I was when I first started out all those years ago. In some sense, more so, as today there are fewer worries about whether I will be able to pay the bills.
ESQ: With your wealth of experience and knowledge, what’s one wisdom you’d like to impart?
GA: One life lesson that I have learnt is that for success, hard work is essential: talent is real, but I don’t believe that on its own it is enough to guarantee success. Work hard and possibly harder, believe in your ideas, work a bit harder, and you’ll get to the top. And even if you don’t get to the top, there is nothing to worry; being true to oneself is the best reward. Be yourself. Follow your passion. Stick to your beliefs. Dare to dream.
ESQ: At the end of it all, what would you like your legacy to be?
GA: The legacy I’d like to leave is one of integrity and commitment, of respect and attention to reality.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
They say the higher you climb, the harder you fall. Yet, greatness rarely blossoms from playing it safe, does it? The current World and Olympic pole-vaulting champion is a Swedish national who recently broke the world record. The eighth time in his career, we might add and at a record height of 6.24m. This is unprecedented territory, folks. This is someone who jumped higher than anyone has and has landed intact. Meet OMEGA's ambassador, Armand "Mondo" Duplantis. Oh, and meet the new Seamaster Aqua Terra that's inspired by him and his achievements.
Enter OMEGA, the watchmaking house that decided such a feat deserved to be celebrated with a new timepiece. Introducing the new Seamaster Aqua Terra, a watch infused with Duplantis’ DNA and passion for pole vaulting. Dressed in blue and stitched in yellow, the 41mm timepiece pays homage to the Swedish flag. And there's also the emulation of the competition of Olympic pole vaulting through a number of subtle details.
Yellow splashes adorn the quarter hour numbers and The Seamaster name. But the most prominent tribute is the pole vault-inspired seconds hand that is also painted yellow. Its tip, treated with Super-LumiNova, represents the grip of the pole.
In a world of high-performance sports, milliseconds can determine the difference between victory and defeat. Influenced by the precision of pole vaulting, the Seamaster Aqua Terra imports this very essence with the Co-Axial Master Chronometer calibre to assure unparalleled accuracy. Much like Duplantis’ unwavering focus, the watch's movement is magnet-resistant, which means, there will be no external factors that could compromise its performance.
Creative director Jonathan Anderson is one of the leading designers of his generation, earning both critical acclaim and commercial success since his appointment at Loewe in September 2013. Under his leadership, Loewe has embraced significant change. Each collection reflects a dedication to art, craftsmanship, design, and fashion. Loewe continues to evoke emotions, with artisanal know-how and the human touch always present.
The previous Spring/Summer 2024 menswear show, centred on how points of view define perceptions and scales, and how they draw silhouettes—highlighting Loewe's constant exploration of drawing inspiration from both the environment and the human mind. It will be fascinating to see where Anderson's exploration and experimentation will take us next with the upcoming show.
For confirmation of what the Loewe Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection will look like, stay tuned for the show this Saturday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Paris Fashion Week Men's.
What: Loewe Spring/Summer 2025 menswear runway show
Where: Paris, France
When: Saturday, 22 June 2024 at 6pm Singapore time
Now in his sixth year at the Maison, artistic director Kim Jones has built a reputation for elevating Dior's menswear, seamlessly blending street style elements with the house's couture history. For the Dior Men Summer 2024 collection, Jones paid tribute to various Dior predecessors and eras, integrating their influences with a contemporary design language. Constantly challenging the notions of tradition and modernity, there's no doubt that the Dior Men Summer 2025 collection will be one that brings to the fore forgotten or lesser known elements of Dior's history.
For confirmation of what the Dior Men Summer 2025 collection will look like, stay tuned for the show this Friday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Paris Fashion Week Men's.
What: Dior Men Summer 2025 runway show
Where: Paris, France
When: Friday, 21 June 2024 at 9pm Singapore time
When buying clothes, do you prioritise longevity, practicality, functionality or style? Perhaps all these aspects can be challenging without resorting to Gorp Core. However, the collab between Dior's haute couture legacy and Stone Island's utilitarianism might tick all your boxes. This collection combines the romance and precision of Parisian haute couture with the skilled, detailed craftsmanship of Northern Italy.
This fusion of clothing traditions showcases the expertise of both brands, epitomising Dior Men's identity. It captures modern skills, highlighting the romance, precision, and detail that define both traditions. Neither is just about looking functional, practical, or handmade. Instead, both brands' styles are respected, followed and, may we add, improved.
Dior and Stone Island unite through their use of high-quality materials, especially silk. Ah, yes silk—this staple in haute couture and military garments alike. This is the material that brings all the sophisticated boys to its yard. Stone Island’s dyeing technique appears throughout the collection, reimagined by the Parisian atelier with garment-dyed embroidery on both outerwear and knitwear.
(ETHAN HART)
Colour takes centre stage in this collection. Stone Island's signature colours and silhouettes are intensified and transformed. Iconic elements like Dior's cannage pattern and the compass are woven into the designs, from quilting to leather constructions. Standing proudly alongside Stone Island’s iconic silk-based compass badge, the Dior logo is enhanced with the cannage motif.
(ETHAN HART)
The shoes in this collection blend functionality with traditional formal shoemaking. Boots and Derbies—a classic Dior element—inspired by hiking shoe design, featuring thick soles, both practical and elegant.
(ETHAN HART)
The bags showcases modern craftsmanship for men. Combining high luxury with advanced usability, these bags are more than just material and finish. With traditional leatherwork, contemporary craftsmanship and high functionality these defines the essence of Dior Men today. Additionally, the bags and clothes can also be enhanced by accessories. This collection reflects countless hours of work, merging traditional techniques with modern demands in a generational project.
The Dior x Stone Island capsule collection would be available in stores on 4 July.
The Zegna Spring/Summer 2025 runway show wasn't an easy one to get to. It's about a half-an-hour drive from the centre of Milan to the industrial space and from the outside, it looked like a blank white canvas. The inside however, Zegna had it converted into a field of linen plants concentrated towards the centre. This became the runway where the models eventually stood along neat emptied out space in the midst of the field.
The linen plants, however, weren't exactly what they appeared to be. Global brand ambassador Leo Wu proved this as I witnessed him cheekily playing with one before plucking it out from its spot. It was a metal rod, varnished into a specific of shade of yellow and gave it quite a naturalistic look. Aside from the Spring/Summer 2025 collection being centred around the brand's traceable Oasi Lino—a concept that's set to continue on every Spring/Summer season—it was also about this idea of how nothing is ever really what it seems. No two things are exactly same for artistic director Alessandro Sartori, even when they looked similar on the runway.
"It is the moment to focus on how items are or can be used, on the singular ways they mould to individual personalities," Sartori says, referencing how it's the right time to expand on the aesthetic that's been crafted and established since Autumn/Winter 2021. It's evident from the fact that the models engaged for the show were as diverse as they come in terms of age, race, and even gender. And while there were some commonalities among some looks in terms of colours or even print, each look was different, brought out even more by the attitude of the model wearing them.
The fit: It's the Zegna that we've all come to adore by Sartori. The tailoring was impeccable with the kind of flow and languid silhouettes that's favoured, but at the same time, cut at the right spots such that none of the models appeared to drown while wearing an oversized polo or a drop-shoulder blazer.
Necklines were reduced further that at times, they didn't require any sort of fastening. It's a subtle tweak but emphasised this hybridisation of formal and relaxed that's become a fundamental Zegna trait. They looked at home worn under the collection's more traditional suiting to create an almost perfectly layered collar effect.
The details: The brand is through and through a ready-to-wear-first brand. At the same time, its Triple Stitch footwear has become such an icon that it may be time to expand that universe a tad further. The runway saw only one footwear adorning the feet of all the models: a new loafer referred to as Mocassin. It's designed with a slightly rounded toe and crafted long and narrow to elongate. True to form, the Mocassin was also minimally designed but again, traipsed that line between formal and relaxed.
Similarly, the brand's bags haven't been much of a focus as a whole, but the capriciousness of the collection's bags definitely drew my attention. For starters, some models (including runway closer, Mads Mikkelsen) carried a different large one on each hand. These were probably some of the biggest bags that Zegna has done in a while and definitely made to be lived in—for just about everything and anything.
Three exceptional looks: The sumptuous and unexpected pairing of deep colours in look 7; the striking printed look 24 that's essentially a shortened pyjama suit; and look 33's stunning tonal combination of yellows with trousers cut to make one look taller.
The takeaway: A truly studied approach to approaching wearable luxury fashion in the contemporary sense.
View the full Zegna Spring/Summer 2025 collection in the gallery below.
Longtime artistic director of Hermès menswear, Véronique Nichanian, has crafted such a signature look for the House's menswear collections that its Spring/Summer 2025 outing will certainly be one to anticipate. Hermès has already teased a look—a knit shirt with a dip-dye effect in a blue that reflects the sea. It does seem as though that could be the reference point for Nichanian's latest collection, or at the very least, just one element of it.
For confirmation of what the Hermès Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection will look like, stay tuned for the show this Saturday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Paris Fashion Week Men's.
What: Hermès Spring/Summer 2025 menswear runway show
Where: Paris, France
When: Saturday, 22 June 2024 at 9pm Singapore time
I don't think anyone had so much of an inkling as to how the Gucci Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection was going to look like. Creative director Sabato De Sarno left little clues, and the show invite—a set square engraved with "la misura dell'amore è amare senza misura" ("the measure of love is to love without measure")—ultimately didn't really have anything to do with geometry or math. And thank god for that because after a hectic Milan Fashion Week Men's schedule, I'm sure none of us would have wanted a problem to figure out.
To some, however, De Sarno's Gucci aesthetic may be a problem. Some might say that his sophomore menswear collection, while a more vibrant proposal with prints ripe for the season, left little to be desired; that there isn't a strong enough of a point-of-view.
Having a "point-of-view" tends to be thought of as having concepts that are singular—a look so unique and easily identifiable that it will immediately be recognisable as being Gucci. I'd argue that De Sarno doesn't lack one, but rather, it's an aesthetic that isn't targeted to just one archetype.
The setting of the runway show reflected this. The Triennale Milano is a museum of art and design where a diverse range of works are collected and exhibited. I'm not equating the Gucci Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection to that of works of art (although the oversized shirts decorated completely with paillettes came close) but there seems to be a growing idea of the Gucci wardrobe being able to be collected throughout the season, spliced and then combined to create looks that are part of one's style. Is that enough of a point-of-view?
The fit: It's a the-city-meets-the-beach style narrative consisting of short shorts that would've been perfect for the weather during the show (Paul Mescal made an excellent outfit choice). De Sarno repeated his penchant for oversized tops with shirting left untucked, offering just a peek of the shorts underneath.
Colour-blocking was heavily utilised. In fact, this was a stark difference from the Autumn/Winter 2024 menswear collection—this was colour on steroids almost. Acid hues were paired with vibrant prints of dolphins, surfers, hibiscus flowers, and banana leaves.
The details: We do need to talk about the hardware. The Horsebit is set to be an element that De Sarno seems to be planning to drive down our throats. It's apparent on the pointed toe iterations of the Horsebit loafers that he introduced for Autumn/Winter 2024 but this time, expanding the offering with boots. Belts are also given the Horsebit treatment and with a new surprise. What I initially thought were just Horsebit belts from my vantage point were actually a combination of a double-ended snap hook closure (a hardware that has replaced the piston closure in De Sarno's Jackie bags) as well as the d-rings of the Horsebit.
A bag that could potentially be on a lot of people's wishlist would be a new crossbody bag fitted with the snap hook closure. They're slightly reminiscent of the Horsebit 1955 and that's not exactly a bad thing.
Three exceptional looks: Look 14's masterful layering of a polo over a shirt; the oversized polo shirt embellished with paillettes in look 26; and look 34's classic with a twist.
The takeaway: Once more (one last time, hopefully), it's a new Gucci that's not quite less is more nor more is more.
View the full Gucci Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection in the gallery below.
Now that Milan Fashion Week Men's is done, we're heading to Paris where Louis Vuitton will kick things off with its Spring/Summer 2025 menswear show by Pharrell Williams. This will be Williams' third menswear show, and with the previous two taking references from cultures and experiences around the world, his latest offering may perhaps take on a similar slant. But perhaps, as "Le monde est à vous" is what the show is being called—literally "the world is yours"—it may be even bigger than before.
For confirmation of what the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection will look like, stay tuned for the show this Wednesday. And for an even closer look at the collection, follow @esquiresg on Instagram as we bring you the action live from Paris Fashion Week Men's.
What: Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2025 menswear runway show
Where: Paris, France
When: Wednesday, 19 June 2024 at 2.30am Singapore time
I hate to bring up "quiet luxury" again (have we used this term to death yet?) but that pretty much sums up the Spring/Summer 2025 menswear offering by Dolce&Gabbana. And it's not a bad thing.
The Dolce&Gabbana you see on the runway and what you eventually see people buy into tend to be different—the latter is often logo-heavy. For a few season now, the brand has slowly deviated from this, offering collections that are more subtle in branding with a focus on the silhouettes and details that are more emblematic of the brand but not necessarily what the general public's impression of the brand is like.
It's a strong proposition from the very first look: a raffia jacket woven with two different colours, and with weaving techniques also reflected in an extended belt as well as woven lace-ups. Yes, it did look rather stiff on the runway but then came look 12's raffia coat that dispelled any talk about the raffia pieces in the Dolce&Gabbana Spring/Summer 2025 collection being stiff and impractical. The fluidity was there and so was the structure—in other words, splendid Italian craftsmanship.
The fit: It's difficult to not see the nod to '60s and '70s fashion in the collection—coincidentally or not, that was also when wicker-woven design pieces reigned supreme—but kept to Dolce&Gabbana's classic oversized-top look. There were some semblances of tailoring in a few looks but the overall aesthetic skewed towards the summer holiday locales of Capri, Venice, and Portofino. Sailor-collared shirting were punctuated with stripes of different widths (lending that '70s vibe), while scarves adorned looks that were made perfect for the Italian coast.
The details: Weaving is undoubtedly the central technique that the collection was built around. Dolce&Gabbana employed weaving techniques across leather and raffia. They were varied in applications as well as techniques, with some appearing like crochet, especially in a number of footwear.
What caught my eye however, were the coral embroideries that were featured quite beautifully in a number of looks. It was look 29's variation—an ivory white suit with trousers decorated with coral-hued embellishments—where I could hear the clinging of the pieces as the model walked in front of me. And considering how loud fashion shows tend to be, it was quite an experience.
Three exceptional looks: Look 15's oversized woven top matched with an equally woven bag and shoes; the monochromatic colour-blocking in look 21 with the most gorgeous shade of green; and look 38's clever use of stripes.
The takeaway: Refined, different, and subtle all the same–this is a Dolce&Gabbana collection for the discerning.
View the full Dolce&Gabbana Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection in the gallery below.
The first thing anyone would have noticed at the Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2025 runway show—apart from the beautiful projections of horses galloping—were the models. And not that they're unusually more attractiveor that there's quite a diverse cast (it's de rigueur for the brand), but rather, it's the fact that they're smiling. It's a known fact that models don't typically smile on the runway; any other facial expression apart from a neutral one is considered distracting. But at the Emporio Armani show, the smiles added so much more levity and underscored the ease of the collection.
Mr Armani intended to capture an escape from the limitations of city living, running off out into nature in pieces that reflected a nuanced combination of the two. The colours graduated from muted shades of wheat, sand and the like before hitting a crescendo of purple hues brought about by lavender fields. But just how much freedom was Mr Armani looking to convey? Well, let's just say that the finale was rather spirited pairings of a man and a woman—the latter a vision of spring's boldest hues. The Emporio Armani man accompanied her, dressed in nothing a pair of leather shorts matched with a leather harness, boots, and at times carrying a basket of lavender blooms.
The fit: There's no doubt that the Armani aesthetic worked exceptionally well here—no other silhouette speaks to the airiness and lightness of freedom as the Armani look. Shoulders are dropped across the board while trousers (Mr Armani introduced high-waisted variations with their top folded over) billow with every slight movement, giving air a temporary visual presence. Layering was kept to a minimal (at most an inner layer over lightweight outerwear) with bare skin being quite an important element for the season. It's not done in any vulgar way however, but rather a complement to the act of being one with nature.
The details: Leather harnesses and waists cinched with triple-tour belts (or what looked like a belt-over-belt-over-belt situation) added equestrian elements that juxtaposed the overall airiness of the collection. Sure, you'd think everything would be loose and unrestraint for a collection that's all about freedom. But therein lies a beauty in reining in—some stylistic tension is always the mark of a genius. And speaking of genius, Mr Armani is also all about the details and I spotted a tunic with stunning trimming along its front that added such fine, luxury craftsmanship.
Three exceptional looks: Look 3's super relaxed vibe topped off with strings of unrefined stones as a necklace; a look consisting of an oversized white suit decorated at random with raw edged holes; and look 65's masterful pairing of monochromatic hues.
The takeaway: An Italian Western love story of spring and its bountiful harvest of colours and freedom.
View some looks from the Emporio Armani Spring/Summer 2025 menswear collection in the gallery below.
"I think I'm pretty good at this," Cha Eun-woo nonchalantly said while playing a game with Dior where he masterfully guessed the Dior Men collection by artistic director Kim Jones based on a number of corresponding objects.
He should be a pro at it; Cha has been to a number of runway shows for both Dior and Dior Men since 2022. In fact, he was the only Korean idol to have ever attended a fashion show in Egypt, the site of Dior Men's first show in the country for its Fall 2023 show in Cairo.
Cha's connection with Dior began in 2022, first as a Dior Beauty ambassador. Sure, there's no doubt that the multi-talented actor and singer is as good-looking as they come—there's that impossibly perfect, poreless, porcelain skin and facial proportions that can only be described as stripped from a fantasy novel—but Cha's proven to be more than just a beautiful face. The man has serious style chops.
At the 2022 exhibition Treasure Gardens in Seoul by French artist Jean-Michel Othoniel (sponsored by Dior Beauty), Cha wore a Dior Men double-breasted suit with classic accoutrements. It was his first official appearance for the House and it felt fitting as a nod to Dior's haute couture beginnings. But just as Dior Men is more than mere tailoring, Cha has proven that he's quite a fashion chameleon with a range that's as wide as the roles he's taken on as an actor.
Cha continuously exemplifies style deftness on the front row. His first Dior show, the Dior Spring/Summer 2023 collection, saw him opting for a full-black ensemble with a Dior Cannage coat that added much needed textural contrast. In Cairo, he switched it up with an outfit from the Dior Men Spring 2023 collection—a collaboration with Los Angeles-based ERL—that stood out in a different way. "There were several outfits I tried during fitting and chose this in the end," he said, referring to the tinsel sweater in a gradation of blues from look 15 of the collection. And if that wasn't enough tinsel, he had on a Dior Saddle bag in the same treatment and affixed with an oversized gold chain. But before you cry foul that Cha essentially wears Dior Men like how it's styled on the runway, he substituted the jorts and sneakers in the original look for denim jeans and sneakers that complemented his frame and gave more attention to the top half of his outfit.
It's this duality (a term that's been gaining popularity of late in reference to celebrities being adaptable and having multiple personas) that makes Cha quite the perfect Dior man. You'd see him in a monochromatic, elegant ensemble one day, and the next, he'd be in the House's more streetwear-inspired leanings.
The Dior Men Fall 2024 collection speaks to this duality—a convergence of past, present and future. Jones continued exploration of the house codes led him to the visual narratives by Monsieur Dior and Yves Saint Laurent. The collection might be a tailoring-focused one, but peppered with elements of the outdoors as well as military-inspired pieces. Subverted tailoring include front-tie blazers and striped shirts paired with shorts as well as bermudas lined with a peeking layers of silk. There's an Art Deco feel in the patterns used on sweaters with zipped details providing that extra element of functionality.
Dior Gravity Leather reinforces the Dior Oblique motif's timeless relevance. The latest interpretation of the icon sees an entirely unique embossing technique that marks leather with the aid of gravity, hence the name. The result is a grained leather series of bags, shoes and accessories that are branded ever so lightly with the motif.
One could say that Cha's ascension into the stratosphere of fame is akin to defying gravity. Even before debuting as a member of then-sextet Astro, he was already dabbling in acting. To date, he's appeared in a couple of films and a string of series, of which the latest, Wonderful World, explored a darker side with themes of grief and revenge. Cha released his first solo EP ENTITY in February but even before that, he's lent his voice as a solo artist in a number of soundtracks.
What's next for Cha? No one really knows except the man himself. But what's for certain is that he'll be taking anything on with the spirit of a Dior man—with grace, elegance, and style.
Photography: Park Jongha
Editor: Im Geon
Styling: Lim Keon
Art Designer: Ju Jeong-hwa
Hair: Lee Il-jung
Make-up: Ahn Sung-hee
Nails: Kim Su-ji
Assistant: Kim Jung-ho
Animation: Joan Tai
