HONG KONG — In a first for the French house, Dior Homme has teamed with German audio manufacturer Sennheiser to produce a special line of headphones.
Dior Homme chief executive officer Serge Brunschwig was here for the unveil on March 22. Visiting the brand’s Hong Kong Landmark store, he was joined at a cocktail party by Asian celebrity guests such as singers Vaness Wu and Endy Chow, and Cantopop lyricist Wyman Wong.
It’s the first time Dior Homme has collaborated with a third party. The four products, which come in a sleek black and red colorway, are designed to cater to different scenarios: at home, traveling or for daily wear.
“We had a lot in common but we didn’t know it before,” Brunschwig said, adding that the collaboration came about from a meeting 11 months ago. Because Sennheiser is a sponsor of Art Basel’s Hong Kong fair, which is currently on, the two parties thought it would make for a great launch date.
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Aside from a shared passion for their product, Oliver Berger, Sennheiser head of global design management, said the two companies are similar in age. “Dior is celebrating its 70th year anniversary; Sennheiser will have it in two years as well — so we’re a little bit younger,” Berger said.
The home solution bundle includes Sennheiser’s HD 800 S headphones, an HDVD 800 amplifier, IE 800 ear-canal headphones that come in a French calfskin carry-cover and the PXC 550 Wireless headphones. Or, customers can opt for just the travel solution of PXC 550 Wireless with a Dior Homme leather mini-backpack, whilst daily and pocket solutions deliver the travel headphones and the IE 800, respectively, in specially designed leather covers.
Although the products are unveiled now, they will not be on sale until June with pricing still to be revealed.
Dior Homme designer Kris Van Assche is known for his love of new wave music. Last year, Van Assche staged a special Dior Homme runway show in Hong Kong and invited French electronic group Club Cheval to perform for the after party.
More recently, he’s started collaborating with sound designer Frederic Sanchez. “Music has always been an integral part of my creative process and also an extended journey during my shows,” Van Assche said.
As for Brunschwig, he said he prefers to listen to classical music, and he leaves open the possibility of more linkups with other brands.
“Can [a collaboration like this] be replicated? Of course,” Brunschwig said. “But when, I don’t know. Yes, we should be open for ideas like that. If they absolutely make sense for the history of Dior, with what we want to express. We just make sure we find some interesting ones. As always, collaborations like that are very inspiring and you learn a lot.”