Flashback to @mrkimjones SS19 debut show for @dior men, where I interviewed him for a @highsnobiety cover story. That June 2018 fashion week was one for the books, it also saw @virgilabloh’s debut at Louis Vuitton, and the energy was so vibrant and hopeful—you felt like this new guard was coming in, doors were being opened for everyone, and anything was possible. The idea of real collaboration and community still felt real—and you could see that in the way @michael_kopelman_london was even in the front row for that first show, one for the heads who remember The Hideout/Hit and Run. Backstage @yoon_ambush was working on the accessories, and @matthewmwilliams was tapped to Dior-ify the signature Alyx rollercoaster buckles. It was this era of designers and creatives supporting each other at the highest level—which felt entirely new. Kim attended Virgil’s LV show, and Virgil was right there at Kim’s. Part of me feels like we’ve been chasing this season’s energy ever since. As far as Kim, he’s like if the smartest kid the class was also cool as hell. He has a talent for transmogrifying his interests into his designs that make things that are equally cerebral as they are covetable. Not many designers have Galliano and Mark Parker as fans—and this is also the guy that put Kapital, Supreme, and the Patagonia Retro-X into the LVMH canon. What he did with artists at Dior Men is even more notable when you realize part of it was informed by Mr. Dior’s previous life as an avant-garde gallerist, presenting early shows by Alexander Calder and Salvador Dali.