"Making people more elegant": Itself an elegant encapsulation of the design vision of Kris Van Assche, who less than a decade after graduating college, now runs his own brand and was recently named the artistic director for Dior Homme. His clothes are artsy, modern updates on traditional men's shapes. And he takes cues from unconventional places: His last show was inspired by the aesthetics of Johnny Depp and Tim Burton movies. "The loss of individuality is a sad development," Van Assche says. "We live in a sportswear generation, and it is my job to propose an alternative."
NAME: Kris Van Assche
BIRTHDAY/AGE: May 12, 1976
BORN (CITY): Londerzeel, Belgium
RESIDES (CITY): Paris, France
PERSONAL MOTTO:
"The sky is the limit"
SOMETHING I DO EVERY DAY FOR SANITY:
"After waking up, I usually go out on the terrace of my apartment, check up on the plants ( even talk to them a bit…) and have a quiet moment with a cup of coffee. Also, I try to go to the gym at least 3 times a week…"
PLACE WHERE I'M MOST PRODUCTIVE:
"Funnily enough.., I have pretty good ideas while sitting in the bathtub."
FAVORITE ARTICLE OF CLOTHING/GOOD LUCK CHARM:
"4-leaf clover necklace from my second season"
MOST FRUSTRATING MOMENT:
"Paper work problems when I was launching my company"
PERSON I ADMIRE MOST/PERSON WHO TAUGHT ME HOW TO HAVE JUICE:
"Watching people in the street, how they move in their clothes, how they dress and undress, their attitude, their elegance. In fact, I often notice older people, or people who are completely outside of the fashion system. They put things together in an almost 'innocent' way, away from trends and the 'laws' of fashion. But they still want to be elegant and individual, so without being fashionable they put meticulous care into getting dressed. That is something that really fascinates and inspires me.
"I am also inspired by books, photography - especially August Sander, Evelyn Hofer, or something totally different: Jeff Burton. I love the rawness of his work.
"For my last show, I was inspired by Johnny Depp and the atmosphere of Tim Burton movies. We even used some of the movie music for my show."
5 YEARS AGO, MY GOAL WAS . . .:
"To start my own brand"
5 YEARS FROM NOW, MY GOAL IS . . .:
"To continue to have an influence in making people more elegant"
BIGGEST PROBLEM FACING OUR GENERATION:
"I don't know if it is the biggest problem in general of our generation . . . but in terms of fashion, I think the uniformization of sportswear and the loss of individuality are a sad development. We live in a sportswear generation, and that it is my job to propose an alternative."
FAVORITE BOOK, AND WHY:
"When I moved to Paris I met an American guy, Billy who gave me a book, 'The Precious Present'. It's about this young boy talking to an old man about what really matters in life. He had already received this book from another friend, and I am supposed to hand it over to someone else one day, someone who I really care about . . ."
FAVORITE MOVIE, AND WHY:
"Finding Neverland. Because every adult should keep a bit of that innocence and spirit of children."
SONGS I LISTEN TO IN MY CAR/BEFORE THE GAME/WHILE I'M WORKINGMAKE UP INTERESTING CATEGORY (FOR PLAYLIST - UP TO 5 SONGS):
"No car for me in Paris, I travel scooter instead which is not the best place to listen to music. My team and I listen to music at the atelier all the time. My favorites are Matt Elliot, Ghinzu, Timbaland. And - hands-down - my all-time, absolute favorite: Madanna, because . . .
"The sky is the limit""
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