Walking On Air

When Dior's collaboration with Air Jordan first appeared on the autumn 2020 runway, fans and followers of Kim Jones probably weren't all that surprised. After all, the artistic director of Dior Men hasn't exactly been low-key about his love for the iconic basketball shoe. In the past, he has confessed his collection of sneakers totals well over 500 pairs, and it's not uncommon to see snaps of his favourite Air Jordans on his Instagram. Then there's the fact that Jones is being rightly lauded as an influencer in the men's fashion realm. He’s the man behind the emergence of numerous menswear trends, but it's his mastery of melding the worlds of sports, streetwear and high fashion that has seen him establish a name for himself.

With that in mind, it's easy to understand why sportswear companies have clambered to work with him, and with a brand of Dior's calibre. But Jones is just as enthusiastic about partnering up with brands he has cherished for years, eager to put his high-fashion spin on them."It's like a dream," he enthuses when asked about the new Air Dior collaboration. Released in 1994, a year after Michael Jordan debuted the shoe in his rookie season, Air Jordan – a range that now features apparel as well as shoes – has amassed a cult-like following globally. And with Jones having worn and loved the style "ever since [he] was a teenager", it makes sense that the Air Jordan 1 High OG Dior sneaker is at the heart of the new, limited-edition collection.

So what can fans of Air Jordan expect from Jones’ interpretation? "The Air Jordan 1 High OG Dior has a specific size of Swoosh, which is much bigger than the one on the classic Air Jordan 1 High OG," explains Jones, adding that the iconic Swoosh also bears the instantly recognisable Dior Oblique pattern. The shoes themselves are made in Italy, with techniques borrowed from Dior's atelier. "We used Italian leather and we worked on the construction in exactly the same way we would have crafted a bag, with painted edges, and special stitching," says Jones.

He cites the transparent hard sole – printed with the Air Dior Wings on one foot and the Dior logo on the other – as a favourite innovation. “I love intertwining different worlds and different ideas," Jones says. "The Jordan brand and Dior are both emblematic of absolute excellence in their fields; to bring them together in this special collaboration allowed us to present something exciting. It's the special savoir-faire and the craftsmanship that you get from the Dior factory in Italy, combined with the Jordan's technical prowess."

For the rest of the Air Dior collection – which fuses elements of classic tailoring with sportswear – Jones unsurprisingly turned to his basketball hero as his muse. "The main inspiration for the collection comes from Michael Jordan's off-court style," he explains. "He wore suits all the time, so these pieces bring together the [Dior] house's exceptional tailoring expertise with a 1980s American sportswear feel in a nod to this legendary basketball player, I love that!"

As well as drawing on timeless silhouettes from the Jordan and Dior vaults, Jones says the collection also breathes new life into classic sportswear styles. "We have created a new silhouette – something between tailoring and 'sports luxe." A harmonious juxtaposition if ever there was one, he points out that seemingly contradictory ideas often make for the most memorable fashion moments. "This collaboration is proof that sportswear can be executed in a luxurious and tailored way. Air Dior is elegant with a dash of audacity. It boosts sportswear into a higher dimension."

Indeed, while the Air Dior collection wouldn't be complete without a pair of basketball shorts, Jones' elevated versions feature a high-fashion, Dior-appropriate twist."The whole range is very sophisticated and modern," he elaborates. "We used only luxurious fabrics such as silk and cashmere." As for any anxieties around staying true to two such well-known and fundamentally different brands? "I like the fact that we're doing something that's extremely left-field in terms of clothing," says Jones matter-of-factly. "Through the art of tailoring, the highest standards of construction, and the perfect application of the Dior codes, the collection transcends sportswear in an unexpected way. And like I said...Jordan shoes have been a part of my life since forever. I've been wearing them forever. So to have had the opportunity to put my own personal spin on them has been huge."

This feature first appeared in STYLE magazine.