Curated by Highsnobiety and presented during the time period formerly known as Paris Men’s Fashion Week, “Not In Paris 2” is our second in a series of bi-annual digital exhibitions celebrating creativity in the age of remote interactions. Head here for the full series and cop our new merch via our online store.
In a normal year, Paris would be awash with fashion photographers and models, and content creators would be rubbing shoulders at the Dior Menswear show. But this isn't a normal year — and with the city in its current state of lockdown and fashion week going mostly digital, Paris has become more abstracted than ever.
Of course, the fashion capital has always had a mythic allure that carried farther than its arrondissements. Even as an idea, the city continues to seduce creators from around the world. So while it might not be possible to physically travel to Paris this fashion week, Highsnobiety aimed to harness some of the magic by putting Dior’s Summer 2021 collection into the hands of the creatives that love it the most — like Deon Hinton, Alex Gowon, Alex Roth, Eric Jess, and Tanner Reese.
If any collection celebrated the power of creativity and art's capacity to transport, it's Kim Jones' collaborative collection with Ghanaian-born, Vienna-trained artist Amoako Boafo. For Jones and Boafo, and Paris itself, the African continent has provided an infinite source of inspiration. Each piece is a dialogue, drawing from the graphic patterns that characterize Boafo's work and Jones' childhood spent in Botswana, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Ghana.
To truly appreciate the painterly quality of the collection — the intricately realized surfaced, printed, and layered ribbed knits, incorporating jacquard patterns — it needs to be worn. So we asked Hinton, Gowon, Roth, Jess, and Reese to model their favorite pieces from the comfort of their respective homes, and wax lyrical about Paris, Dior, and creativity in lockdown.
Deon, if you were in Paris now, what would you be doing?
I’d be running around, capturing moments that I’ll always remember. Maybe even indulging in a croissant or five.
What’s your go-to Zoom fit for a special occasion?
My go-to fit for a special occasion are neutrals. Any muted palette with a pop of an accessory is where you will often find me.
Top tip for staying creative in lockdown?
Take breaks from social media when needed. Although the tool can be very helpful creatively, it can also be a place that harbors lots of comparisons. Take breaks as needed and pay close attention to the work you ingest.
You have to wear one Dior product every day for the rest of your life, what do you pick?
Oooh, perhaps one of the hardest questions I’ve ever been asked?! I honestly think any saddle/tote. The bags are essential yet classics, and can elevate and draw in any look. Definitely the most versatile accessory I have.
You're invisible for the day. Where do you go?
The ’80s. The sense of vast cultures within this time has really grasped me. From fashion to photography to civil rights. There’s so much I’d just love to sit and experience.
Alex Gowon, if you were in Paris now, what would you be doing?
I would probably be dancing in the streets, listening to a curated French playlist. I have never been, but I have dreams about it all of the time.
What’s your go-to Zoom fit for a special occasion?
I feel like I don’t necessarily have a go-to outfit for anything. I love dressing in the colors I feel like that day, but a simple black-on-black look is never a bad idea.
Top tip for staying creative in lockdown?
Continue to create, even when you don’t feel like it!
You have to wear one Dior product every day for the rest of your life, what do you pick?
The Dior saddle bag, because I already wear it everyday!
You're invisible for the day. Where do you go?
If I was invisible for a day I would be a fly on a wall in the White House. I’m just so curious to know what actually goes down in there.
Alex Roth, if you were in Paris now, what would you be doing?
If I was in Paris right now, granted Covid was not present, I’d be somewhere lost in Le Marais in a crowded restaurant, eating, drinking, and surrounded by people I love and only see twice a year. Discussion topic: anything and everything.
What’s your go-to Zoom fit for a special occasion?
Something to express my personal style on top — probably a statement jacket or top with colorful jewelry. Most likely on the bottom I’m wearing just underwear.
Top tip for staying creative in lockdown?
Research, learn, and study your interests and their pasts. Understanding where something came from can help you grasp creativity for the present and future. Also, explore adjacent or related interests to your hobby, you’d be surprised how interconnected different art forms are.
You have to wear one Dior product every day for the rest of your life, what do you pick?
Either Dior Men Fall16 look 20 (full look) or the gloves and accessories from Fall 20.
You're invisible for the day. Where do you go?
I try and find the artists and people I look up to and just observe. You learn the most about someone when no one is around.
Eric, if you were in Paris now, what would you be doing?
If I wasn’t bouncing around the shows I’d probably be sitting at Le Perle having a glass of wine with friends and people-watching, cause yeah, Paris.
What’s your go-to Zoom fit for a special occasion?
If I’m not getting a little more dressed up for a virtual show or shoot I’ll probably just have a leather jacket and vintage tee on.
Top tip for staying creative in lockdown?
I feel like within this lockdown period I felt either completely inspired because we have so much time to concept, think of new ideas, and aren’t traveling and running ourselves down — or, I felt totally confined. I’d say my biggest tip is just to not put too much pressure on yourself and immerse yourself with great films and books.
You have to wear one Dior product every day for the rest of your life, what do you pick?
The iconic Dior saddle for sure, it's the perfect bag to throw your necessities in and always elevates a fit.
You're invisible for the day. Where do you go?
The vaults of the Louvre, for sure.
Tanner, if you were in Paris now, what would you be doing?
I would be going to shows non-stop and eating croissants every chance I get and roaming the city with the boys.
What’s your go-to Zoom fit for a special occasion?
Definitely a tank top with a leather blazer on top, the perfect mix of edge and class.
Top tip for staying creative in lockdown?
Staying creative is crucial for an artist; it’s also easy to lose this flow in lockdown. For me, I have to have a clean and inspiring space for clarity and then I can focus solely on whatever it is I’m creating.
You have to wear one Dior product every day for the rest of your life, what do you pick?
EASY. The Dior Jordan 1s, I would never take them off!
You're invisible for the day. Where do you go?
I would definitely go some place I’m not supposed to be, like Area 51, or I would just hop on a plane and go on the most extravagant vacation ever.
Shop Dior's new collection here.
