The random input that shapes a designer’s vision can be a source of endless fascination to outsiders. For his debut at dunhill, Creative Director Kim Jones was thinking about inspirations as varied as explorers, penguins and the painter Francis Bacon. But there was method to his seeming madness.
Take Bacon, for instance. A maverick spirit, in keeping with Alfred Dunhill himself, who, a century ago, was very much a modernist in his time. Alfred was a connoisseur of fearlessness. He admired explorers, men who pushed limits. And penguins? Well, we could all learn something salutary from that tough little bird’s rigorous formality, discipline and dedication to the task at hand.
But these were all just starting points. As Jones delved into dunhill’s past, he found an aesthetic whose combination of form and function seemed particularly right for now – and very much in keeping with his own feelings about menswear. As he says, “There’s a lot of formality within dunhill but in a way I could relate to.” In his solo career, Jones helped pioneer the mash-up of formalwear and sportswear that is evolving as the essence of 21st century menswear.
Alfred himself loved travel, so he was always looking for ways to improve the functionality of dunhill’s products. For him, technology was the servant of tradition. “That means that the whole idea of dunhill is much more contemporary than people realise,” says Jones now. There’s an all weather coat fashioned from a technical wool in the new collection, for instance, which looks distinctly modern but is actually lifted from the company archives. Look hard and you’ll also see echoes of a butcher jacket, a sailor’s jacket, things made for a reason. And Alfred’s open-mindedness encouraged Jones to experiment with high-functioning textiles. In amidst the Mongolian cashmeres, the washed cottons and vintage leathers, there are memory fabrics, nylons which look like wool, or camdeboo mohair from South Africa, which has the remarkable knack of keeping its wearer cool in summer and warm in winter.
The world of dunhill is also a much richer, stranger place than many might imagine, and that too was a perfect match for Jones’s own inclinations. Something clicked when he found a photo of Truman Capote in an evening suit made for him by dunhill. The satin lapel, the grosgrain waistband, the frogging down the trouser legs and the square jacquard design on the buttons meant that nothing quite added up to a traditional tux. “It’s modern to have everything not matching,” says Jones. Still, as much as nothing matched, he knew he had to tie together the company’s clothes and accessories, to create one coherent, idiosyncratic entity. A world, in other words, like Bourdon House in London, or Twin Villas in Shanghai, the first outposts of dunhill’s new universe.
The archives gave Jones a lot to work with. There’s a duffel coat with toggles made from mammoth tooth. Mammoth tooth! And a watch that is fashioned after your house key. Or a version which clips to your jacket pocket, and has a shagreen backing. dunhill first used shagreen in 1919 and its sheen and texture evoke an exotic Deco glamour. So does the goldfish motif, which originally distinguished dunhill’s Namiki fountain-pen and is now hand-painted inside the breast-pocket of a shirt. It’s hidden, but the wearer knows it’s there, and the notion of such an exotic, private pleasure seems appropriately perverse for Jones’s re-visioning of dunhill. “Nothing with dunhill should be loud,” he insists.
His ultimate aim is to bring dunhill home, to reclaim and reinforce its roots in Britishness. There’s an envelope-fronted mackintosh in the collection whose bonded lining features a map of London. Tradition with a twist? “Classic modern – that’s what I’m after,” says Jones. “That’s why I’ve kept the key pieces to a handful of elements: the shirt, the blazer, the suit and outerwear. That way, you can see where dunhill has been, and where it’s going.”
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Kim Jones Autumn/Winter 2009-10 Q&A
1. Why dunhill?
dunhill has always interested me. There are so few genuinely interesting British brands that are truly English. It has the most amazing and incomparable archive and heritage that I knew would constantly inspire me.
2. What can we expect from you?
You can and should expect a formal classicism that is inherently modern drawing on the brand’s essence of travel, function and technology. Each and every piece will have a story and a purpose.
3. Who is the dunhill man?
The dunhill man is self assured; he knows what he likes and what he wants. He is a maverick.
4. What was the first thing you did after joining dunhill?
I looked into what the company is about and what it should be about. I absorbed myself in the archive and what in the archive was relevant today.
5. What does it mean to be a top British designer at a top British luxury house?
It is my dream job. I am really excited and so proud to be representing such a house with such an amazing heritage.
6. What aspects of the dunhill brand, or what parts of it, are attractive to you? What aspects do you find stimulating or inspiring?
I am very lucky in that I can be inspired by aspects that relate so well to my life and interests – travel, function and technology is imperative in all categories. The brand in its totality is stimulating. I would never be able to work for a brand that I wasn’t constantly inspired by.
7. You have now been at dunhill for over a year. What was your first impression of the brand?
One of the best things I have found about dunhill is the people. They are open to change and all the opportunities the brand needs.
8. What do you think are your biggest challenges with dunhill?
My biggest challenge is to get people globally to really understand what the brand is, what it stands for – quality, durability and a true attention to detail.
9. What sort of brand do you want to develop dunhill into in the future?
I want to restore dunhill to its position as one of the top leading men’s brands in the world. A brand where a man can get the ultimate staple wardrobe – the perfect suit, mac, white shirt, cashmere or outerwear.
10. Is it true that you are working on a ‘future classic’ style for dunhill? If so, please explain?
Yes, I am continually working on a blend of tradition with technology, retaining a classic style or statement but innovating and updating it.
11. Was fashion something you always wanted to work in?
No, but fashion was something I was always very interested in. I always knew that I wanted to have a career in the creative industry but wasn’t sure exactly what. It just seems a natural route for me.
12. Why is the AW0910 ready to wear collection so special?
It is important for people to see what dunhill is about and how good it is. This collection is my first expression of dunhill for the future.
13. What was your inspiration for the Autumn/Winter 2009-10 collection? Who or what?
My inspiration for this collection is quite simply Alfred Dunhill himself. I have so much respect for him as an innovator and a creative and the fact that many of his designs are just as relevant today as they were then.
14. Of all the designs, which category or single piece did you spend most effort/time on?
The range of leather goods was possibly my greatest challenge this season. It was a project that had to be perfect and was a relatively new skill for me.
15. Which pieces do you feel best reflect your vision for dunhill?
The white shirt, mac coat, key watch and formal leather bags – each reflects the new masculine classic dunhill style.
16. Are there any interesting fabrics/ technology/ stories you can tell us about the AW0910 collection?
The AW09 collection is focusing on a much more formal dunhill, hence the use of camdeboo mohair for blazers and jackets.
Shirts are another important formal story, with handpainted details from the dunhill archive painted onto formal white shirts.
A 1893 map of London becomes an interior feature on Mackintosh pieces
Mongolian cashmere is present as always - this season updated with archive-referenced colour blocking.
Loro Piana 'storm system' is being used on a dunhill archive piece to update a classic outerwear look, and shirting fabric has been waterproofed and used as outerwear.
Mammoth tusks have been hand-carved into toggles for a duffle coat as well as cufflinks and lapel pins.
Shagreen is present in belts, cufflinks, pens and even a games compendium.
Wood effect leather has been used on our new AW09 formal range of bags and small leather goods. This leather has also been hand-painted with archive references on small leather pieces such as a travel companion.
