The prolonged vogue household of Kim Jones piled into swanky Paris restaurant Laurent on Friday night time to see the designer adorned as a Knight of the Legion of Honor, France’s highest civilian ornament.
Delphine and Antoine Arnault, Gwendoline Christie, Kieran Culkin, Honey Dijon, Jay Chou and Robert Pattinson had been joined by the likes of Yoon Ahn, Neil Barrett, Zac Posen, Adrian Appiolaza and Giles Deacon.
“He’s associates with quite a lot of designers,” stated Silvia Venturini Fendi, who first met Jones at a luxurious convention in Rome again in 2012. They bonded as each had been a bit nervous about being grilled on stage by Suzy Menkes.
Stephen Jones, Sebastien Jondeau, Kim Jones, Silvia Venturini Fendi on the Kim Jones Legion of Honor Ceremony held at Chez Laurent on January 24, 2025 in Paris, France.
Aitor Rosas Sune/WWD
“He’s very inclusive. He actually has this concept of a vogue household, and a group spirit round creativity,” Venturini Fendi stated.
Los Angeles designer Eli Russell Linnetz stated he first linked with Jones through direct message on Instagram – and the remaining is historical past.
“He’s a person who is aware of what he needs. Yeah, he messaged me again, and 5 days later, the complete Dior group was in Venice Seashore,” he associated, referring to a 2023 resort collaboration between the French home and his ERL label.
“He’s undoubtedly an incredible orchestrator, the way in which he brings individuals collectively, and the way in which he’s in a position to execute on his large visions,” Linnetz stated. “It’s an insane expertise, superb.”
Addressing the packed room, Anna Wintour, chief content material officer of Condé Nast and world editorial director of Vogue, elaborated on Jones’ character.
Jeremy O. Harris, Jazz Charton, Kieran Culkin on the Kim Jones Legion of Honor Ceremony held at Chez Laurent on January 24, 2025 in Paris, France.
Aitor Rosas Sune/WWD
“The beauty of Kim is that he very hardly ever does something solo. Every thing is togetherness, supporting, collaborating, lifting up, whether or not it’s a film star he’s dressing or a completely unknown designer on the lookout for their large break,” she stated. “Some years in the past, should you had visited Kim at his home in London, you might need met a younger DJ and aspiring designer named Virgil Abloh who was sleeping on Kim’s couch whereas attempting to get a break within the vogue world. And to at the present time, Kim is the particular person all of us name if a younger designer or an older designer wants recommendation or assist, as a result of he by no means says no.”
She gave a short recap of his profession, which kicked off together with his personal label, which he shelved to tackle a inventive director position at Dunhill and successive ones at luxurious conglomerate LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the place he has served variously as inventive director of menswear at Louis Vuitton and Dior, and of womenswear at Fendi.
“When Kim arrived at Fendi, he was following within the legendary footsteps of Karl Lagerfeld,” Wintour stated. “Kim, in fact, would by no means examine himself to the incomparable Karl, however they definitely share a couple of traits, voracious lust for data and a curiosity that’s astounding. Kim is just not solely a designer, however he’s a polymer. He’s a botanist and a zoologist.”
Jones and Lagerfeld additionally shared a ardour for books, famous Sébastien Jondeau, Lagerfeld’s longtime bodyguard and private assistant.
“He and Karl had the identical type of approach to see issues, and to take inspiration from in all places,” Jondeau stated. “Kim is somebody with a giant coronary heart on this loopy enterprise.”
Certainly, Jones did his highest to say almost everybody in his prolonged groups in his acceptance speech.
“If I missed individuals, I’m actually sorry,” he stated. “I’ve had a really pretty life doing what I really like, and you recognize, it’s nice to share it with everybody. And I simply actually can’t consider I acquired this!”
The British designer was beforehand appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire in Queen Elizabeth II’s Birthday Honours Checklist in 2020 for companies to vogue.