Kim Jones, Dunhill

Kim Jones has been at the helm of British luxury goods label, Dunhill since March 2008. His first offering was a range of leather accessories for Spring/Summer 09. His first full menswear collection, Autumn/Winter 09, will debut on the Paris catwalks in January.

Click here to see Jones's debut accessories collection

Why did the brand decide to recruit a Creative Director now do you think?

It was a good time for Dunhill. The present CEO – Christopher Colfer – has worked very hard over the past 2 years on rebuilding the brand and this was a natural step for him. Hiring the next Creative Director (the last one being Alfred himself) was the next stage for this progressive brand.

Do you feel any sense of loss abandoning your own label to come to Dunhill?

I don’t feel like I have abandoned anything. It was important for me to challenge myself and Dunhill is the next challenge. There are certain things I miss but this was the next step for me. I am happy I did it. I am a very adaptable person and change is good for me as a person and as a creative.

Do you worry fans of your previous work under your own label and for Umbro might not ‘get’ your work at Dunhill?

Not really. People who truly understand and appreciate my work will get it. I hope that my fans are as flexible and open-minded as I am. Umbro was great but Dunhill allows me to reach a much broader market.

How important is the ‘cult’ of the Creative Director to a fashion label nowadays?

I think people want someone to connect with, in order to really understand the brand. It is important to have a company figurehead, to add personality to Dunhill, but people need to also understand that a machine like Dunhill has many many people making it work and each is as integral as the next.

Where do you intend to steer Dunhill?

I’m really interested in the new formal proposition for Dunhill – drawing from areas I’ve worked on in the past and from Dunhill’s archive. For a brand with such strong roots, any steering by me will be to emphasise these – those being the characteristics of classicism and understatement but my challenge will be to present these with a wholly modern personality too.

How difficult is it to balance the rich heritage of the brand with brining it into the 21st century?

If you really look at the Dunhill heritage you will see that there is nothing ‘old’ about it, in fact it is wonderfully modern. Alfred Dunhill himself was obsessed with innovation and new technology, which means that there are pieces in the archive that are just as relevant today as anything I design.

How did you approach your first collection?

I approached it by thoroughly investigating the Dunhill archive – over 100 years worth of inspiration and reference. This was very important as was getting the concept of Dunhill today very clear in my mind and allowing that to be reflected in the product.

Describe the collection in 5 words?

Formal, Classic, Modern, Interesting, Dunhill

What can we expect from your next collection?

Let me get the first one finished!

Tell us something surprising about Kim Jones?

When I was younger I wanted to be a zoologist and did work experience at London Zoo.

10 December 2008 | Fashion