British designer Kim Jones quits Dior menswear
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British designer Kim Jones after the presentation of his collection for French fashion house Dior at Paris Fashion Week on Jan 24.
PHOTO: AFP
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PARIS – Kim Jones, the menswear designer at Christian Dior Couture, is leaving the struggling LVMH label after seven years in the role.
Dior announced the move in a statement on Jan 31, with a spokesperson confirming the 51-year-old British designer’s departure is immediate. The focus will likely now turn to womenswear designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, who has been in that role since 2016.
Christian Dior, LVMH’s second biggest fashion label, was described recently by investment giant Morgan Stanley as the “problem child” of the French luxury group due to its lack of innovation.
The label would benefit if Jonathan Anderson, creative director at LVMH brand Loewe, is made a designer at Dior as has been rumoured, analyst Edouard Aubin wrote in a note.
Other analysts have also pointed out the ready-to-wear and haute couture brand may have increased prices too much in recent years, while it was also hurt by a supply chain probe into its Italian operations.
“It’s good to see a change, Dior needs a jolt,” Bernstein analyst Luca Solca said following the announcement.
Though LVMH does not break down sales and profit numbers for each of its labels, outgoing chief financial officer Jean-Jacques Guiony said recently Dior had underperformed in LVMH’s fashion and leather goods division in the fourth quarter of 2024, amid a lack of demand from China in particular.
The unit’s biggest label Louis Vuitton outperformed it, he said.
Christian Dior Couture sales fell by 8 per cent to around €8.7 billion (S$12.2 billion) in 2024, according to HSBC estimates.
“Maybe there’s a need to reinvent the brand and give it back some freshness,” Mr Guiony said during LVMH’s earnings announcement.
The comments will likely add to speculation around Chiuri, whom the fashion media has reported is expected to leave Dior in 2025 – potentially after she unveils a cruise collection in Rome in May. Dior did not immediately reply when asked to comment on Chiuri’s next steps.
Christian Dior is led by Ms Delphine Arnault, 49, the eldest child of LVMH billionaire chief executive Bernard Arnault.
She took over two years ago, after former CEO Pietro Beccari oversaw a period of staggering growth, with the opening of a major flagship store in Paris called 30 Montaigne. Mr Beccari now leads Louis Vuitton.
Jones was previously also designing for Fendi, another LVMH label, and left that role in October after four years at the helm.
He presented his last Dior collection in January in Paris, a show attended by celebrities including English actor Robert Pattinson. Models wore pale pink kimono-like coats adorned with embroidery, as well as bands on their eyes.
Mr Bernard Arnault, who normally attends his labels’ shows, was absent.
Dior is not the only fashion label to shake up its creative ranks, as high-end brands grapple with a downturn. In December, Chanel appointed Matthieu Blazy to be its new designer. BLOOMBERG
