Dior Men unveils a stunning Spring/Summer 2021 campaign, based on the inspiring, artistic collaboration between artistic director Kim Jones and Ghana-based, mega-star artist Amoako Boafo. Dior faces Babacar N’doye, Jeremiah Berko Fordjour and Samer Rahma are a perfect trio to showcase the art-informed designs.

Ronnie Cooke Newhouse provides superb art direction with images by Rafael Pavarotti [IG].

In Fall 2020 Artnet wrote an in-depth intelligence piece on the rise of Amoako Boafo. Titled ‘The Swift, Cruel, Incredible Rise of Amoako Boafo: How Feverish Selling and Infighting Built the Buzziest Artist of 2020’, Nate Freeman details the financial machinations of the art world in more detail than most of us want to know.

Still, the piece is worth reading/skimming as an informed read on the behind the scenes battles of art market representation and collectors who often have a primarily financial return goal in their investments. Boafo has had quite a rollercoaster ride with the world’s elite.

Artnet ends its article, noting the upcoming collaboration between Dior Men and Boafo, making him the first African artist to work artistically with the design powerhouse.

Dior is helping to fund a sprawling new studio complex for Boafo in Accra, creating an artist-in-residence as well as an art gallery run by local creatives. As of this writing, Amoako Boafo maintains his home base in Vienna, Austria.

There are those who might consider Kim Jones’ collab with a rock star African artist to be an opportunistic sign of the times. In fact, Jones moved across several African nations with his father. They include Botswana, Ethiopia, Ghana and Kenya.

Portrait of Amoako Boafo. Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim — Portrait of Amoako Boafo. *Courtesy of the artist and Mariane Ibrahim*

More writing about the artist:

Amoako Boafo’s gestural portraits exude strength in times of crisis Wallpaper Sept. 2020

FANTASTIC images of Boafo in his studio Dior

“My experience collaborating on the Dior collection has been mind-blowing,” says Boafo. “But in many ways, the fashion and art worlds are similar. They convey genuine messages about being, and self-worth, much of which aligns with why I create—to elevate individuals and to define oneself.”