The Dior Homme Autumn Winter 2017 collection sees Kris Van Assche pushing the art and fashion collaborations and sub-culture references. There were models who walked down the runway in the usual variation of black suits but many others who adorned streetwear, punctuated with New Wave, skate and hardcore influences, a mosh pit print by artist Dan Witz and the slogan “Hardior”.

Though the youth sub-culture element can be seen as nostalgia, I’m très excited to see Van Assche inject art and culture references into menswear, seeing it’s at a tipping point of homogeneity. In fact, I was in tears seeing how Van Assche has adeptly merge the edgy delight of skaters and ravers with coveted luxury when I saw the AW17 runway show images. And to think that the only other time I’ve felt this way was in 2013 when Queen Bey dropped her eponymous, conceptual album but I digress. 

CHECK OUT the Dior Homme Fall 2017 backpack and briefcase

From the show – not knowing the works of Witz – I assumed the mosh pit print was photographic. It wasn’t until I saw the outerwear and bags in-store that I realised that they were oil paintings. The meticulous detailing is preserved in the nylon fabric of the bomber jacket and bags which accentuates the hyper-reality.

The influence of art on fashion also extends to slogans this season with “They should just let us rave” – perhaps a frivolous message in this current political climate except it’s exactly the kind of distraction we need. And then, there’s “Hardior” – a play on the hardcore Dior aesthetic for Autumn Winter ’17 where suiting and statement sweaters are merged with streetwear elements like hardware accessories, orange accents, cargo pockets, and topstitches that fray.

Shot during the day, it’s somewhat of a far cry from the nocturnal techno romanticism that Van Assche has so exquisitely brought to this collection. The fashion and art relationship in this collection is so pure and bold that, to me, photographing it from a new perspective would have only strayed from the intended theme.

Instead, I used the location – Walsh Bay, known for its warehouse conversions and wharves – as well as GIFs to complement the industrial and electronic romance. Just bring the music and let me rave already.

In collaboration with Dior Homme

In Sydney? Drop into the Dior Homme Pop-Up at Westfield Sydney on Level 3. Open 18 September – 27 October 2017.