Conversation with Kim Jones and Eli Russell Linnetz: Welcome to the world of “California Fashion”

On the azure blue Venice beach with the spring breeze blowing in May last year, a fashion feast jointly presented by Dior and ERL was staged. For Dior menswear artistic director Kim Jones, the collaboration with ERL represents the collision of two worlds. He told Hypebeast: “On the one hand you have French haute couture and on the other hand you have a typical American universe. And ‘California Couture’ is the interpretation of Dior style in these worlds.”

In this collaboration, Kim and Eli Russell Linnetz combined the genes of the two brands ingeniously, and jointly prepared a dynamic “cocktail”. The preference for exquisite fashion in Dior’s genes meets unexpectedly with the surfer boy represented by ERL, the collision of French style and American leisure, and the street culture and artistic vitality release infinite reverie under the collision of inspiration. The seemingly ordinary American items on the show show the unique fashion appearance of haute couture.

As a designer who plays an important role in today’s fashion circle, Kim has already mastered the knack of “co-branding” and found a new set of traffic codes for herself. Starting from the epoch-making Louis Vuitton x Supreme in 2017, Kim will continue to pursue this blurred cooperation model in Dior’s work today. KAWS, Raymond Pettibon, 1017 ALYX 9SM, Yoon Ahn, Hajime Sorayama, Daniel Arsham, Shawn Stussy, Birkenstock and Denim Tears, a long list of names, all under Kim’s magic wand, have achieved a clever fusion with high fashion. The cooperation with ERL this time is regarded by many insiders as Dior’s most “harmonious” cooperation during Kim’s period.

The word “harmony” reveals the unparalleled integration of this cooperation, where California culture and Parisian elements complement each other. Intricate sequins and gorgeous crystals are decorated in all kinds of clothing, whether it is the blue-purple Saddle Bag with waterproof fabric; the shoulder pad jacket paying tribute to the “fashion architect” Gianfranco Ferré; Bermuda shorts and down cotton hoodies with surf and ocean elements, Or the B9S sneakers that incorporate the essence of quilting technology on both sides convey a unique sense of nostalgia, injecting vitality into Dior classics with a modern and trendy image.

Taking advantage of the opportunity of the official launch of the Dior x ERL collaboration series, Hypebeast also had the opportunity to have a dialogue with Kim Jones and Eli Russell Linnetz, the two masterminds behind the collaboration. The two designers personally explained the creative stories behind the series, and The experience of working with each other.

First of all, this question is for Kim, since you started working at Dior, what has pushed you to collaborate with different creative people?

Kim Jones：Personally, it’s an opportunity to work with someone you admire, someone you like, or maybe a friend. Working with different people, I think you learn different things from it. In a way, this only keeps adding to the evolution of fashion.

What does “California Couture” mean to you two? How did you explore this design theme together?

KJ：“California Couture” represents the idea of ​​two different worlds colliding together. On the one hand the world of French haute couture and on the other a typically American universe. What we have to do is how to connect these two worlds and interpret them in Dior’s way.

Eli Russell Linnetz：The entire collection started with knitwear and sweaters, so pieces embroidered with “California Couture” directly embody the whole spirit of this collaboration. The spirit of Venice Beach, California runs through the collection and is reflected in each piece. Through this series, I hope to tell the history and stories of my hometown and ensure that it can be accurately passed on to others.

“Dior represents all of our capacity as humans to create beauty and perfection, and as someone who loves clothing and storytelling, poking through the archives is one of my favorite parts of the process.” — Eli Russell Linnetz

How did Christian Dior’s obsession with vintage American glamor influence the collection when he described Los Angeles as “an earthly paradise that one dreams of”?

KJ：Dior as an old fashion house’s fashion gene brings us inspiration, but through a different form of expression. For example, pink is very representative of California. I want to use exaggerated colors to bring new vitality to Dior’s high fashion. This is a very American way, and it also inherits Christian Dior’s enjoyment of American culture. The one in the movie The charm of the times.

ERL：Dior represents all of our capacity as humans to create beauty and perfection, and as someone who loves clothing and storytelling, rummaging through historical archives is one of my favorite parts of the process. Thank you Kim for giving me total freedom in the Dior collection, it’s unbelievable.

Eli was born in 1991. Why was this year so pivotal to the inspiration behind the collection, and what did you learn from it?

KJ：At the beginning of the collaboration, we chose 1991 as a starting point: it was the year of Eli’s birth and the period when Gianfranco Ferré was artistic director of Dior. As such, this is a fresh and fruitful exploration of the archives of the period.

ERL：As Kim said, I chose the year I was born as a starting point, which was also the era of Gianfranco Ferré. I have always been inspired by the intricacies of his designs, there is a strong sculptural and architectural feel to his work that is so different from other designers of the period.

His work is both simple and extraordinary, which is very different from what I was exploring at ERL. His relatively untouched work in the archives was fascinating to me, and the fact that he never formally studied fashion resonated with me as I studied screenwriting and stage design myself .

What made all this happen?

KJ：I’ve been at Dior for over four years (although I feel like it’s been longer) and I think now is the right time for this collaboration, especially after the Winter 2022 show. On the surface, they are very different collections, but in fact both are intergenerational conversations about fashion, about the concept of “heritage” and what it means to be “Dior”.

ERL：This collaborative project is so organic and real. Kim has such a deep understanding of the creative process of art, and how to let something live and grow freely, while maintaining the tone of this old fashion house.

It’s not just me and Kim involved, it’s all the people who came before and the honor they uphold. It was a beautiful transition of two brands coming together and letting our instincts guide us. The work was never forced and we never questioned each other, it was a pure joy. I really appreciate the opportunity to work with Kim.

“Not only did I really like the work of Eli Russell Linnetz, but also working with a young designer on a Dior collection, trying to see things from his point of view, which in turn gave me a lot of new inspiration. It was an amazing experience. Inspirational, and a reaffirmation of why we all dreamed of working in fashion in the first place.” — Kim Jones

How did you come up with a collection that captured both brands so well?

KJ：We have invited many people from different fields to collaborate on our collections before, but this time I wanted to collaborate in a different way. I wish someone could see Dior differently. Not only do I like the work of Eli Russell Linnetz very much, but I also collaborated with a young designer to create a Dior collection, trying to see things from his point of view, which in turn brought me a lot of new inspiration. The experience was instructive and reaffirmed why we all dreamed of working in fashion in the first place.

ERL：Kim and I are two artists who respect each other’s work, and he really gave me a lot of freedom. I’ve always told stories through the clothes I made and built a worldview that belongs to ERL. He was so generous and really gave me a platform where we could share ideas together, create with our intuition, and have absolutely no guesswork. It was a very liberating experience, and Kim and Dior had so many resources to tell a bigger story, and it gave me the opportunity to explore techniques and concepts that I couldn’t touch.

Finally, I would like to ask you two, apart from the impact on the two major brands, what effect do you hope this series will have on consumers?

KJ：I really hope that the launch of this series will create a big excitement in the fashion world!

ERL：My hope for this series is that it can really connect with people and lead them into the world I am creating, exploring my memories and fantasies about the “past” and “future”.