Rafael Pavarotti Captures Dior Men's Pre-Fall 2021 Tribute to Kenny Scharf

Dior Men’s designer Kim Jones paid tribute to American artist and collaborator Kenny Scharf in his pre-fall 2021 collection. The twist, of course, in the Dior Men’s fall closet is bringing Scharf’s artwork to life with Chinese embroidery. The bold visual seduction of the clothes combined with ancient artisan techniques breathes a vibrant vitality and artistry into Rafael Pavarotti’s [IG] campaign images.

The Dior Men’s Pre-Fall 2021 campaign features models Issa Naciri, Ibrrahim Mohamed, Thatcher Thornton and Woosang Kim, styled by Melanie Ward. The campaign also showcases bags from the Dior Lock line, and Jones’ latest footwear offering: Dior Explorer II boots.

Artist Kenny Scharf

American artist Kenny Scharf was born and raised in LA, educated in New York, and contributed in a major way to New York’s East Village arts scene in the ‘80s. His spray-painted canvases and illustrations hooked up with Keith Haring and Jean-Michel Basquiat in creating joyous, cartoon-like works with a strong nod towards the future while also referencing Pop and Surrealism.

Kenny Scharf’s artistic rise received a strong injection of Vitamin B for artists when he was featured in the 1985 Whitney Biennial. The new Dior Men’s collection embraces Scharf’s core belief about the place of art in our lives.

"One very important and guiding principle to my work is to reach out beyond the elitist boundaries of fine art and connect to popular culture through my art," says Scharf. "My personal ambition has always been to live the example. I believe the artist has a social responsibility to engage others in a thought process that ultimately brings the creative process into everyday life thereby enhancing the quality of our experience."