“In this collection, I wanted to concentrate on elements of craft, the skills of the ateliers and artisans who work for the house: this is the lifeblood of Dior. There is always a sense of biography when it comes to the house, that of Christian Dior and the succession of designers, here combined with the life of the ceramicist Hylton Nel. This collection is a celebration of work and an expression of who somebody is and what they achieve through work, that legacy and continuity through time. In the case of Christian Dior, Hylton Nel and myself, it’s an idea of parallel paths with different stories. It’s life-long work in ceramics and paintings and life-long work in fabrications and clothing. There is an idea of and dedication to art and the applied arts shared by all.”

Kim Jones

Craft and the texture of a life lived in a body of work are at the heart of the Dior Summer 2025 collection. Embracing the motifs, figuration and almost homespun monumentalism of the South African ceramicist Hylton Nel, artistic director Kim Jones continues to explore and advance global ideas of savoir-faire without hierarchy in the collection. Together with a further development in his signature take on luxury and utility, men’s workwear and the women’s haute couture archive surrender new meaning this season, combining functionality, longevity and legacy.

Silhouettes are at once sculptural and practical, borrowing from the language of ceramics in both form and finishings. The humble and the noble are combined in fabrications, while the functionality of workwear is flourished with the influence of the cut of archival couture or the handcraft of the Dior ateliers. 

In tailoring and outerwear, rounded volumes predominate, giving a sensuous finish to something at times more forthright. Archival haute couture is given new life when applied to this season’s world, perhaps most significantly and startlingly in the finding of an unrealised Saint-Laurent sketch for a coat from the Autumn-Winter 1958 season. In the collection it  appears fully realised for the first time while informing further tailored looks. The scarf collar motif that runs throughout the collection is taken from another Saint-Laurent piece, negatif, from Autumn-Winter 1960. Here realised as a mock ceramic structure in a completely original artisanal process that took months to achieve. Meanwhile, knitwear echoes sculptural form, simultaneously encompassing playful patterns, prints and ceramic fastenings, all gleaned from Hylton Nel’s world.