Dior Summer 2023 Men's Ad Campaignn Review

Review of Dior Summer 2023 Men’s Ad Campaign by Creative Directors Ronnie Cooke-Newhouse & Karl Bolander and Photographer Rafael Pavarotti

A legacy of art and adventure blooms anew in the Kim Jones’ Spring 2023 men’s campaign from Dior. The campaign was art directed by agency House + Holme led by Ronnie Cooke-Newhouse & Karl Bolander and shot by photographer Rafael Pavarotti.

For the collection, Jones drew inspiration from the work and life of Duncan Grant, a British post-impressionist painter and member of the Bloomsbury Group, and who shares the same birthday as Christian Dior. Both men were famously fond of gardens and gardening, the characteristic theme of the collection, through which Jones finds smart ways to refract the practicality and style of outdoor gear through the lens of Christian Dior’s couturier sensibility. Amid the designer’s signature mix of tailored elegance and elevated streetwear, brilliant details drawn from gardening and outdoor gear proliferate – zippers and straps, technical fabrics, hidden compartments – as well as pieces like trekking backpacks, gardening hats, fleeces, and hiking boots.

This theme is vibrantly present in the lush set design, which recalls the set design of the runway show in its slice of a British country garden that sprawls before a pastel pink backdrop. Among this setting, Pavarotti’s colorful and delicate portraits find his adventurous, poetic protagonists in moments of quiet contemplation and joyful communion with the beauty of nature.

Putting these portraits in motion and setting them to a lilting violin score, the accompanying short film puts a particular emphasis on the thoughtful design details of the collection, which balance practicality and beauty. It also draws the maximum impact out of the lovely set design by letting us see its flowers move in the wind.

Dior has always been about celebrating artistry, and this campaign sees Kim Jones and Rafael Pavarotti imbue this legacy with artful new life for the modern outdoor and intellectual adventurer.