Who was hired in 2011 as Louis Vuitton’s men’s ready-to-wear style director? The answer is Kim Jones. Louis Vuitton hired the British designer in early 2011 to lead its men’s ready-to-wear studio and style direction.
Jones replaced Paul Helbers, who had held the menswear position for five years. He worked under Marc Jacobs, then Louis Vuitton’s company-wide artistic director, and became the principal creative force behind the men’s collections. His appointment strengthened the House’s focus on contemporary menswear, tailoring, travel clothing, and collaborations.
Jones’s Louis Vuitton tenure is especially remembered for the 2017 collaboration with Supreme, which combined Vuitton’s luxury codes with the skatewear label’s streetwear identity. He left Louis Vuitton in 2018 and became artistic director of Dior Homme later that year.
Kris Van Assche is a useful distractor because Jones replaced him at Dior Homme, not Louis Vuitton. Hedi Slimane and Paul Helbers held different roles at different points in the fashion industry.