Dior Homme’s Fall Collaboration With Artist Dan Witz
Fashion has always found inspiration in other art forms. The movement of dancers’ bodies for new silhouettes, splashes of colors found in Old Masters oil paintings made into fresh prints and musicians with their own unique sense of style twisting and turning runways into something new―these types of creative endeavors have always kept fashion inspired and pushed to the creative limits.
Dior has been at the forefront of these types of collaborations, always looking at other artistic pursuits to turn fashion on its head. The Dior Homme FW17 collection is no different with creative director Kris Van Assche partnering with artist Dan Witz for a collection of suits, jackets, trousers, coats, caps and accessories including a backpack, shopper bag and sneakers, printed with Witz’s iconic imagery. Van Assche reflects on being introduced to Witz’s work:
“Dan Witz is one of the pioneers of street art. I first discovered his work a few years ago when I fell upon a series of his earlier street-art works. I also loved his hyper-realistic interpretation of the mosh pits presented in the exhibition ‘New York Hardcore.’ The raw energy of punk rock chaos which prevails in these paintings clearly echoed the idea of subcultural gatherings and rave parties, which were such a fundamental inspiration in the collection.”
An alumnus of both the Cooper Union and lower Manhattan’s art-punk and street art scenes, Witz has spent much of his time photographing and painting hardcore shows in New York’s gritty music scene. The raw energy from Witz’s “mosh pit” series reminded Van Assche of his own connection with the underground music scene that inspired the collection. Combining Dior’s modern design with Witz’s visceral imagery created a collection that really pushes fashion to new heights.