Dior and Nike in collaboration rumour after Instagram post

By

Marion Deslandes

Translated by
Nicola Mira

Published
Feb 21, 2017

The recent collaboration between Louis Vuitton and streetwear label Supreme was a hot item on social media, having been floated, initially as a rumour, after Creative Director Kim Jones published on Instagram a picture of the Supreme logo affixed over the French label's monogram - an image which he soon removed from his account. Mistake or conscious decision? This week-end, it was the turn of Kris Van Assche, Creative Director for menswear at Dior, who published on Instagram a visual featuring Dior's name together with the Nike swoosh, before he too removed it. Both cases are indicative of a new communication style, as well as of the increasingly strong link between luxury fashion and sport.

The Belgian designer captioned the image, created by graphic artist Hey Reilly, with the slogan 'Just Do Dior', echoing Nike's well-known 'Just Do It'. It was enough to spark a reaction from a vast number of aficionados of both labels, pleading with them to create a joint capsule collection. The collaboration is a mere hypothesis, and will probably remain a simple, ironic visual suggestion posted online, but it does not seem so incongruous given how blurred the borders between luxury fashion and sport have become.

Also, the post is an example of social media's ever more crucial role in brand communications, as they are increasingly used by labels to officially broadcast news, appointments for example, such as that of Tom Pecheux as Creative Director of Yves Saint Laurent Beauté.

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It is also worth noting that Kris Van Assche is no stranger to sportswear, having collaborated in 2015 with Adidas on the Ultra Boost shoe. As for Nike, it has already produced collaborations with designers Riccardo Tisci, formerly with Givenchy, and Olivier Rousteing of Balmain.

Further proof of the ever-closer link between the fashion and sportswear world is the fact that many top models are now starring both for couture labels and sports brands, such as Bella Hadid, a new entry at Nike in autumn 2016, who also shows for Dior.