Bienvenidos A Miami

Inside the Dior Men x Shawn Stussy barrel wave: why the Dior Men autumn 2020 collection, like any memorable ride, is not for the faint of heart.

- Norman Tan

Having never set foot in the state of Florida, all my preconceived notions about Miami were, rightly or wrongly, based on Will Smith’s 1997 hit track, ‘Miami’.

Expectation: men wearing acid green silk shirts with white Bermuda shorts on South Beach.

Reality: men wearing striped kaftans with white double-breasted blazers in a museum.

Okay, so it was one man, and that one man was me. I also wore an oversized straw hat for good measure, taking in artworks by Keith Haring, Jeff Koons and an infinity room by Yayoi Kusama on the opening night of Rubell Museum—the new space by long-time art collectors, and Miami residents, Don and Mera Rubell.

It may be the eve of Art Basel Miami 2020, but I’m not in Miami for the art. Well, at least, not in the classic sense.

Artistic director Kim Jones has assembled the international menswear crowd in Miami to witness his latest collection for Dior Men—his second standalone ‘pre-autumn’ show following his highly successful pre-autumn 2019 drop that he unveiled in Tokyo a year prior.

And while he collaborated with Hajime Sorayama for that Tokyo show, creating a stable of futuristic apparel and accessories (how can we forget that metallic Saddlebag?) inflected with the Japanese artist’s signature android aesthetic, Miami with its tropical weather and feel-good beach vibes, presented a new partner: surfing icon and design legend, Shawn Stussy. Naturally, the social media channels were ablaze with expectation. Not only because of the Dior collaboration with Stussy, but the teaser post by Jones of a special new shoe to be unveiled in Miami: a collaboration with the Jordan Brand (as opposed to Nike) for a new Air Jordan 1 sneaker—otherwise known as #AirDior.