Creating Kim Jones' Dior B27 Trainer
Jones' latest trainer for Dior menswear is released later this month. In anticipation, watch how the B-27 design comes together with the house's distinct savoir faire.
Jones' latest trainer for Dior menswear is released later this month. In anticipation, watch how the B-27 design comes together with the house's distinct savoir faire.
Artistic director Kim Jones' latest release for Dior menswear further cements Jones' penchant for luxury sportswear at the French luxury house. Now in his third year at the LVMH brand, Jones continues to honour the Dior atelier's savoir faire with the B-27 trainer.
Jones, a self-confessed trainer obsessive whose personal collection of shoes sits at somewhere around 500 pairs, has spearheaded the merger of sportswear and luxury which is now commonplace since, when heading up Louis Vuitton menswear, he debuted the infamous Supreme collaboration in 2017. Arriving at Dior with his S/S 19 collection, Jones has since channelled the Dior oblique pattern into numerous sell-out trainers, such as the B-23 and Dior Air Jordan 1.
The B-27 takes inspiration from 1980's skateboarding trainers and the Dior archives, with a grey colour-way drawing from Monsieur Dior's own favoured colour palette. The B-27 is available in low and high top versions, and also comes in black and white.
In anticipation of the launch on 30 October, a short video documents the manufacturing process in the brand's leather workshops in Italy. The Dior petites mains are seen working on the trainer from concept to creation, as the design of the B-27 is digitally sketched before details of the Dior oblique pattern are laser cut into leather.
Viewers can watch in detail how the upper of the trainer combines calf leather and nubuck with the Dior oblique pattern, created in jacquard and perforated lather to form a distinct 3-D surface. The B-27 is finished with a textured sole and eyelets are created in the shape of the 'CD' (Christian Dior) signature. The design is finished with a Dior logo in the style of Jones' collaborator, artist Kaws, embossed on the heel.
Also marking the launch comes Dior's first shoppable Snapchat lens. Users will be able to virtually try on the six different iterations of the B-27, then directly purchase their favourite style. Jones continues to move Dior into the future, whilst never forgetting the past.