PARIS — Later this month, Dior Homme is to stage its first runway show in China, a vital and vibrant market that has encouraged its ongoing upscaling drive.
“It’s a good thing for high-end luxury. It pushes us,” Dior Homme designer Kris Van Assche said about China, marveling at the market’s sophistication and scale.
“The stores there are much bigger than the shops here,” he said. “There needs to be more offer because there’s more space, more everything. And the path we’ve been going down is the high end.”
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Reprising his fall show in Paris, a futuristic fashion statement inspired by the 1997 sci-fi film “Gattaca,” the April 25 event will be held at Beijing’s strikingly modern Museum of Central Academy of Fine Arts.
Van Assche said he would cast some of the models locally, and add three new outfits: tuxedo version of his zippered and belted business suits.
The show, with about 500 invited guests, is to be followed by a party featuring a live performance by British synth-pop duo Hurts.
Dior Homme boasts 18 boutiques in China, including a location at the Season’s Place mall in Beijing that is being refurbished and is slated to open on April 25.
When he returns, Van Assche has another project in the frame: the opening of the first freestanding boutique for his signature brand. He said the 750-square-foot unit is slated to open this summer at 16 Rue Saint-Roch, steps off the Rue Saint-Honoré.