Chinese outerwear giant Bosideng has appointed British designer Kim Jones as the creative director of its luxury sub-brand Areal. Jones will make his debut in Fall 2025 – 26 with a 15- to 20-piece capsule collection.
Bosideng has appointed British designer Kim Jones as the creative director of its sub-brand Areal.
Following his departure as artistic director of menswear at Dior and being awarded France’s highest civilian decoration Légion d’Honneur, Kim Jones steps into this new position as Creative Director at Areal with an intent to integrate its premium, functional outerwear with high-concept design. “I thought it was quite interesting working with a brand that people wouldn’t expect. That’s something I would like to do, also to make things that people can wear and afford and love,” he said in the announcement video.
Bosideng, which has dominated China’s down jacket market for decades, has aggressively pursued international expansion since 2012, reopening its London flagship, launching high-end stores in Italy, and regularly showcasing at Paris, Milan and New York. This appointment is expected to strengthen Areal’s position in global luxury fashion.
Per Vogue Business: “Financially, Bosideng’s trajectory remains strong. The company reported RMB 25.9 billion ($3.6 billion) in revenue for fiscal 2025, up 11.6 per cent year-on-year, with profit attributable to shareholders rising 14.3 per cent to RMB 3.51 billion ($492.5 million). Analysts note that despite being the third largest brand in China by retail value, Bosideng commands approximately 2 per cent of the fragmented outerwear market, leaving ample room for growth.”
The legacy of Kim Jones
Former Dior Men’s Artistic Director Kim Jones attended Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design where he graduated with an MA in Menswear. His graduation show was a hit, which inspired him to launch his eponymous label and the debut collection was presented at London Fashion Week in 2003. Following a collaboration as designer for British high street sportswear brand Umbro, Jones designed for Topman, Mulberry, Alexander McQueen, Alfred Dunhill and a few others.
Jones built a stellar reputation as one of the leading menswear designers during his tenure as Creative Director at Louis Vuitton from 2011 to 2018, before joining Dior Homme as Artistic Director of Dior for the Men’s Ready-to-Wear and Accessory. His first collection was presented in June 2018, during Paris Men’s fashion week. Jones added Artistic Director of haute couture, ready to wear and fur collections for women at Fendi to his roster in 2020 and was, in fact, the first to step into the shoes filled by Karl Lagerfeld from 1965 until his passing in 2019.
Despite his inexperience with womenswear, Kim Jones’ tenure at Fendi was successful. Per the coverage of Fendi Spring Summer 2025 on WWD: ‘”I looked at all the different family members of a few Fendi generations, and have done different versions of each one,” he said, pointing to looks created with Adele, Anna, Silvia Venturini Fendi and Delfina Delletrez Fendi… While these were relatively quiet clothes, often simple in cut and restrained in embellishment, they impressed with their delicacy, finesse, and a luxury feeling, perhaps exemplified by a simple T-shirt dress in sueded crocodile that rippled like velvet as the models strolled the perimeter of the vast, square show set…’
Kim Jones experienced key milestones at Fendi. Per WWD: ‘Donatella Versace designed a Fendi collection and Jones a Versace lineup for pre-fall 2022 retailing… In 2022, Jones tapped Marc Jacobs to create a collection within Fendi’s spring 2023 women’s collection that was shown during New York Fashion Week, and also teamed with Tiffany and Co. for special Baguette handbags. He followed up in 2023 with a Stefano Pilati collaboration under the new “Friends of Fendi” banner.’
At the time, LMVH released a statement: “Kim Jones made significant contributions to the brand’s creative legacy, seamlessly integrating his modern and cross-cultural aesthetics with Fendi’s historical heritage. Under his leadership, the maison reinvented its ready-to-wear and couture collections, offering an inclusive and innovative approach to fashion that constantly renewed Fendi’s Italian codes. Throughout his four years, Jones’ work was wholly guided by passion and creativity.” Following his tenure at Fendi, Jones continued evolving his aesthetic as Artistic Director of Dior for the Men’s Ready-to-Wear and Accessory collections and was made chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur at an award ceremony after the Dior Men’s Full 2025 showing at Paris Fashion Week.
A week later, he exited Dior. In a statement, Jones said, “It was a true honour to have been able to create my collections within the House of Dior, a symbol of absolute excellence. I express my deep gratitude to my studio and the ateliers who have accompanied me on this wonderful journey. They have brought my creations to life. I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the artists and friends I have met through my collaborations.”
About Bosideng
Bosideng International Holdings Limited, founded in 1976 by Gao Dekang, is China’s largest outerwear brand. Headquartered in Shanghai and a leading brand in down jacket sales in China for 26 consecutive years, the company operates under several core brands including Bosideng, Snow Flying, and Bengen with a retail network of over 7,500 outlets, and has expanded its presence to 72 countries including the United States, France, and Italy. In recent years, Bosideng has diversified its portfolio to include men’s, women’s, and children’s apparel, as well as high-end urban fashion through its new sub-brand, Areal. The appointment of Kim Jones, former creative director at Louis Vuitton and Dior Men, as the creative director of Areal signifies the company’s ambition to merge functionality with luxury design.
Bosideng
Jasmeen Dugal is Associate Editor at FashionABC, contributing her insights on fashion, technology, and sustainability. She brings with herself more than two decades of editorial experience, working for national newspapers and luxury magazines in India.
Jasmeen Dugal has worked with exchange4media as a senior writer contributing articles on the country’s advertising and marketing movements, and then with Condenast India as Net Editor where she helmed Vogue India’s official website in terms of design, layout and daily content. Besides this, she is also an entrepreneur running her own luxury portal, Explosivefashion, which highlights the latest in luxury fashion and hospitality.
