Kim Jones quickly made an impact at Dior when he was appointed creative director of Dior Men in 2018. At the helm, the 41-year-old designer wasted no time injecting his streetwear influences to the house’s DNA. 2020 was a strong follow up to the label’s 2019 which included the hotly-anticipated collaboration with globally-renowned artist KAWS and partnership with iconic Japanese creative, Hajime Sorayama.

This year was also about street culture influences and Jones strategically commissioned artist and friend Daniel Arsham for some art direction on brand visuals and products. The sculptor’s signature eroded elements were utilized on apparel, footwear and special edition objects. Stüssy label founder and fashion veteran Shawn Stussy was also tapped by Jones this year. Stüssy’s artful graffiti scribbles were applied to a number of products and campaign visuals.

The pinnacle for Kim Jones’ 2020, however, was creating what could possibly be the shoe of the year — the Dior x Air Jordan 1. The grey and white model made from premium leather and detailed with a repeating “Dior” logo swoosh was only limited to 8,000 pairs. But that didn’t stop more than five million people from signing up to get their hands on the coveted sneaker online. Release of the shoe was postponed numerous times and multiple rumors of exact drop dates swirled around social media prior to release. The delays and conflicting dates surely fueled the hype of the shoe as fans waited in agony for just a slim chance to get their hands on a pair.