Top image: Dior Homme FW18, photography by Portia Hunt

Former Louis Vuitton menswear designer Kim Jones is set to replace Kris Van Assche at Dior Homme after it was announced earlier today that the Belgian designer will be leaving the French fashion house after eleven years.

Jones will start his new job on 1st April as the new artistic director of ready-to-wear and accessory collections.

“I am deeply honoured to join the house of Dior, a symbol of the ultimate elegance. I would like to warmly thank Bernard Arnault and Pietro Beccari for their trust in giving me this incredible opportunity,” Jones said about his appointment. “I am committed to create a modern and innovative male silhouette built upon the unique legacy of the house.”

While Van Assche said his goodbyes: “After eleven years at Dior Homme, my mind and heart filled with experiences, I am leaving this beautiful house to pursue new challenges.”

A graduate of Central Saint Martins in London, Jones re-energised Louis Vuitton menswear by mixing streetwear with the house’s luxe aesthetic. Having been in charge for seven years, the British designer’s reign will perhaps be best remembered for his blockbuster Supreme collaboration.

“I am delighted to welcome Kim Jones, with whom I had the chance to collaborate previously at Louis Vuitton,” Beccari told WWD. “I admire his creative vision, which combines both his own inspirations of contemporary culture and his own reinterpretation of specific codes and heritage of a house. I am confident in his ability to recreate his universe within the maison Dior and imagine for Dior Homme an elegant and resolutely modern wardrobe.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BggIKgwDZFg/?hl=en&taken-by=kris_van_assche