Kim Jones Bids Adieu To Louis Vuitton
The 38-year-old designer has exited his role as creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear.
Kim Jones, the British-born artistic director of Louis Vuitton menswear, is exiting the company after 7 years of designing phenomenal collections for LV. The Fall/Winter 2018 collection showcased on Thursday was his final show for the LVMH-owned brand, with rumours suggesting that he is headed to Burberry.
Kim Jones with supermodel Naomi Campbell, after the Louis Vuitton Spring/Summer 2018 show at Paris Fashion Week
Jones graduated from the famed Central Saint Martins in 2002, with his collection being bought by John Galliano. His label was launched the following year at London Fashion Week. After only five years of operation, he shut his namesake label in 2008 to become the creative director of Alfred Dunhill, a British luxury menswear brand.
Former editor-in-chief of Vogue Paris, Carine Roitfeld plants a kiss on Kim's cheeks at Paris Fashion Week in 2017
Kim was signed up as the menswear designer for Louis Vuitton in 2011, when he took responsibility of the fastest growing divisions of the renowned brand.
Jones put a spin on Louis Vuitton’s menswear collections, mixing streetwear with luxury, which was a complete game-changer. This took LV to newer heights. His recent collaboration with Supreme, a popular New York-based casual clothing label, presented at the Fall/Winter 2017 show bears that out.
Jones with Alexandre Arnault
His resignation came at a good time, with high-end casualwear boosting global sale of luxury goods by 5 percent to reach $309bn (based on research carried out by global consulting firm Bain and Company). Reeling from the success, Kim Jones’ found his name being nominated for the creative director’s role at Burberry, with rumours of Christopher Bailey’s exit in March 2018 doing the rounds.
Kim Jones acknowledges the audience during the Louis Vuitton Menswear Spring/Summer 2018 show
Although Jones lacks the experience of heading womenswear, his successful tenure at Louis Vuitton earned the brand recognition and relevance in today’s times, which might have attracted Burberry. Well, wherever he is headed to, we hope that he continues to toss innovative collections at us in the years to come.