An Ode to Fashion's New Creative Directors

After over a year of frequent creative director entrances and exits, the game of musical chairs is finally slowing down and giving way to new sartorial visions. Menswear especially has seen a chain reaction beginning an era: Virgil Abloh, after years of success at Off-White, has taken on an additional role at Louis Vuitton, where Kim Jones had left for Dior Homme (now Dior Men), where Kris van Assche had left for Berluti. It's a lot to follow, but each is leaving a monumental imprint with their new appointments, with Abloh bringing LV more color and streetwear, Jones presenting chic tailored pieces under a reinvented brand name, and van Assche rebooting LVMH's only menswear brand.

Outside of this circle, but still just as relevant, is Hedi Slimane, the alum of Dior Homme and Saint Laurent who is now reinventing Celine. In addition to departing from Philo's womenswear vision to implement his signature aesthetic, the creative director is banking on his talent for skinny suits (the reason for Karl Lagerfeld's weight loss in 2000) to start a menswear line for the brand. Spring 2019 marked the first glimpse at his vision, in addition to those of Abloh, Jones, and van Assche, so L'Officiel USA is celebrating the new day with a photoshoot of some of the collections' standout pieces. Now that these pieces are hitting the market, get ready for a completely different men's street style look.

KIM JONES FOR DIOR MEN

“This collection is energetic, very chic, very tailoring, respectful to the House, and referencing Mr. Dior’s personal world and life, but for 2019! The silhouettes are fluid, sophisticated and comfortable.”
—Kim Jones

Clothing and shoes Dior Men

VIRGIL ABLOH FOR LOUIS VUITTON MEN’S

“I don’t call myself a designer, nor do I call myself an imagemaker. I don’t reject the label of either. I am not trying to put myself on a pedestal, nor am I trying to be more, now. I would like to define the title of Artistic Director for a new and different era.”
 —Virgil Abloh

Clothing and shoes Louis Vuitton

KRIS VAN ASSCHE FOR BERLUTI

“The Spring-Summer 2019 capsule collection is a prologue to my first show for Berluti in January 2019. As a first step, I wanted to work around a contemporary men’s wardrobe while redefining the silhouette of the Berluti man.

There are also signature and emblematic pieces–rooted in the Berluti heritage–that I wanted to reinterpret for a new intergenerational vision, such as the patina, the Andy loafer or the “Scritto”. This collection also features our new Berluti logo, which is engrained in the core of the brand and evokes a conversation between the past and the future; a promise of what is to come.”

—Kris Van Assche

Clothing, shoes, accessories Berluti

HEDI SLIMANE FOR CELINE

The debut show by Hedi Slimane was the first collection he helmed for Celine, as well as the first time the fashion house debuted a man's collection.  The non-seasonal designs, dominated by black, featured a collaboration with Swiss-American artist Christian Marclay.  His works, paintings, and onomatopoeic collages that were taken from vintage comics, appear in a variety of forms.

Clothing and Shoes Celine by Hedi Slimane Jewelry model's own