EXCLUSIVE: How Dior Handcrafted Its "Futuristic Armory"
Dior's Fall 2023 collection is nothing if not huge. Alongside the mainline menswear fare designed by Kim Jones and his team, there's an additional capsule guest-designed by Denim Tears founder Tremaine Emory, appropriately named Dior Tears.
Amidst the exquisite Saddle bags and Emory's jazzy spin on collegiate clothing, Dior also unveiled a pair of nifty accessories that reframe light sportswear inspiration with the house's inimitable luxury inclinations.
That is to say, Dior made a helmet and harness look both badass and beautiful, each piece handcrafted in its Paris atelier.
The theme was "futuristic armory," according to a statement, which explains why the helmet and harness resemble contemporary protective gear.
Think of an elegant evolution of the contemporary motocross trend and you're mostly there.
Woven throughout the steampunk-y accessories is a suitably high-tech spin on an archival Dior pattern. Originally embroidered by hand, the delicate lattice-like shapes were 3D-printed to spec, creating intricate lightweight layers.
Speaking of layers, each sculpted helmet and harness was painstakingly painted by hand, yielding dense layers of tastefully muted matte color. Compared to the helmet and harness' sleekly unfamiliar shapes, the subtlety is appropriate.
Both Dior's classic logo and reborn CD Diamond branding are embossed across the helmet, tangibly linking distinct eras of Dior.
Dior is of course no stranger to vehicular hardware: it recently created protective gear for racecar drivers as part of a Gran Turismo 7 collaboration.
Don't expect the helmet or harness to be available for purchase — unless you're a diehard Dior customer — but even us regular folks can look forward to the wider release of the Dior Tears goods, which include bespoke sneakers that hybridize suede and striped wool.
It's all part of the greater savoir-faire, a mélange of houte couture and ready-to-wear that only Dior has elevated to a future-perfect art form.
