Dior Homme staged a sound show at its Landmark store via a collaboration with legendary German audio manufacturer Sennheiser. Marking the couture house’s first collaboration of such a kind, it combines cutting-edge technology with Dior’s inimitable design.
Featuring four ‘solutions’, the range has been designed to be fit seamlessly into one’s natural lifestyle the “Home Solution” bundle, for example, includes Sennheiser’s HK 800 S headphones inserted in hand-sewn and printed leather with an exclusive tricolor cord, the HDVD 800 amplifier bearing the style signifiers of Dior Homme’s signature red scar code. There’s also a “Travel Solution” featuring the PXC 550 Wireless with a Dior Homme leather mini-backpack, whilst Daily and Pocket solutions deliver the travel headphones in specially designed leather covers. All of which means a Dior Homme can sound as good as he looks.
Amid a whirl of influencers, champagne and celebrities including Wyman Wong, Elly Lam, Jocelyn Chan, Mark Lui, Vanness Wu, #legend shared a few words with Dior Homme president, Serge Brunschwig.
Why Sennheiser and why now?
Sometimes you don’t plan for good things, they just happen. There was an exercise set up between France and Germany to explore ideas of collaboration, organised through French luxury entity Comite Colbert and their equivalent in Germany. So on one side was Dior, and the other, Sennheiser. We met, had discussions, and thought a collaboration could be a good idea. Then we had cocktails at the German embassy in Paris, and we agreed that we should do something. That’s how it started. It’s a good idea, created in a very natural and sponteaneous way.
What would be on Dior Homme’s playlist?
It’s a very tough question. That’s the beauty of Dior Homme. It’s whatever you think should be on it.
But what sort of man is Dior Homme? I’m not sure.
I think at the meeting of fashion and tailoring, that’s what Dior Homme is. Younger, different, but always based on tailoring, design, architecture. That has kept us apart from some brands which do more casual fashion, or more street fashion. We started from tailoring and we stay there. I am wearing Dior Homme now.
And looking very buff in it, I must say. I’m in Kilgour and I feel like an outsize tent. I have middle-aged spread which is probably why I wear a Savile Row tailor.
But that’s why you should be wearing Dior Homme! It makes you slim. You don’t need to be slim. You just appear slim.
That’s the point of great tailoring, right?
Right. Then you look good. And people mention what you wear when you wear it.
Dior Homme is the envy of many in the sector. How do explain its success?
It was Hedi [Slimane] at the beginning, now Kris Van Assche, but I think most importantly it was very coherent with Dior’s story. It’s a seamless narrative. Dior was known for creating a new look for women. Dior Homme came along and created a new look for men. So it’s a new look for men, inspired by clothes for women. And it’s a very masculine fit. So I think that answers your playlist question! It could be anything from classical to Asap Rocky. It’s men who want to look good and care about their appearance.
Okay. Dior Homme doesn’t do poster boys, but who would be the brand’s poster boy? Who is Dior Homme’s equivalent of Savile Row’s Cary Grant?
Robert Pattison, Rami Malek, Boy George, Asap Rocky, Larry Clark.
Okay. Who is the poster woman for Dior Homme? The woman of today wearing man’s clothes?
Who do you think?
The Korean actress/model Kiko Mizuhara. Does the world get any better? Kiko in Dior Homme?
You can do what you want! [Laughter] I will give one name, Isabelle Huppert.
What’s the most immediate challenge facing Dior Homme?
It’s a permanent reinvention. There is no special concern. It’s important to keep the edge, the creative edge, to continue to push our icon products and reach out to younger people. Frankly, in the men’s market, there’s still plenty of opportunity. The suit is part of the future but in a less predictable way. Our role is to reach out to younger people.
