Dior Shelves Hong Kong Runway Show

Dior has “postponed indefinitely” its menswear show slated for March 23 in Hong Kong. Production teams, travelling guests and local authorities were informed yesterday of the change, just a month before the event.

The brand did not supply a reason for the change — nor any indication of when the show might be rescheduled — sparking frustration from local officials who had hoped the event would be a major moment spotlighting Hong Kong’s appeal as a destination for international travel and shopping.

Hong Kong’s standing as an international retail hub has declined in recent years as Beijing has ramped up oversight of the territory while protests and pandemic-era travel restrictions curbed demand for travel and shopping, with visitors from Mainland Chinese re-routing to destinations like the duty-free island Hainan. LVMH stablemate Louis Vuitton also sought to spotlight the city as a fashion destination with a show by menswear creative director Pharrell Williams last year.

Dior’s unexplained postponement could raises questions about the health of Hong Kong’s luxury market as well as the future of men’s creative director Kim Jones, who will mark 6 years at the brand April 1. Since Jones joined Dior in 2018, menswear sales have boomed as the designer mixed house codes like nipped-waist tailoring and carnage with streetwear and collaborations with hip artists.

Dior representatives declined to comment on why the show has been shelved.

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