Mood board: Now in his tenth year at Dior Homme, Kris Van Assche made his own distinctive contribution to this season’s developing theme: a reconciliation between the atelier and the street. Ever mindful of the house’s inimitable founder, here Monsieur Dior’s lucky necklace was reinvented as a key chain. Assche’s teenage years were reflected too in the fitted cut of jackets and roomier trousers. The collection had splashes of new wave, ravers and gabber boys. ‘HarDior’ was emblazoned across the front of bucket caps and sweatshirts. It was both hard in mood and energy.
Best in show: Pinstripe cloth was used for utilitarian streetwear shapes. Suiting was youthful. As with last season, the clothes left the mark of their maker. Basting stitches on tailored jackets were multiplied and collaged. Another two-button jacket featured metal tacks, fanned across the front. There was a confidence and familiarity to the look.
Team work: New York-based artist Dan Witz’s hyper-real moshpit paintings featured prominently as a signal of the birth of HarDior style. One of the pioneers of the street art movement, Witz has been making work since the late 1970s. Like Assche, his influences come from music, especially the transgressive power of rock'n'roll. After a brief stint as a musician, Witz returned to making art fulltime, inspired by the epic scenes painted by Brueghel and Bosch. His ‘Moshpit’ series embodies the magnificent tension of being present in the moment yet totally abstracted from what is happening. His paintings were printed onto a number of looks, bursting with vigour.