Five months after exiting Dior, the British designer Kim Jones unveils a capsule for luxury hotel group Aman’s product brand, Aman Essentials.
Kim Jones, who previously helmed Dior Men and was awarded the chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur during his tenure, has collaborated with luxury hotel group Aman’s product brand, Aman Essentials. The label launched in 2022 retailing fashion and beauty, the former of which is only distributed across the hotel group’s properties while the beauty products are also stocked by Harrods, Violet Grey and Neiman Marcus.
Jones’ 35-piece capsule for Aman is poised as a significant step for luxury hospitality, moving beyond collaboration to a brand strategy, fashion that goes beyond mere merchandise. It’s a resort-specific strategy and a brand builder. In sync with this strategy, the pieces have been designed with versatility, practicality and adaptability to the diverse climates of Aman’s thirty-six worldwide hotel locations.
Aman Essentials’ product portfolio was described as the generic hoodie- and- sweatpants, until now. The clear vision of the luxury hospitality brand and its market position makes it easy for the codes to be interpreted and that’s where Jones’ experience is so important.
“We took that idea of resortwear and sustainability as the core of the collection,” Jones tells Vogue Business. “We wanted items that could be worn on the beach or to a smart dinner — anywhere from Amanpulo in the Philippines, to Amangani in Jackson Hole — breathable fabrics to hike in or cool pieces you can walk around Tokyo in while staying at Aman Tokyo, which is a home away from home for me.”
Partnering with environmental organisation ‘Parley for the Oceans’ and its incubator, ‘Future Material’, reinforces their commitment to utilitarian outerwear and trousers crafted with a lightweight Banatex twill: a fabric made from regeneratively grown abacá banana plants; knitwear made with material created from upcycled plastic yarns; soft fleece loungewear made from regenerative cotton; and activewear pieces in recycled elastane.
The collection is set to hit Aman boutiques, Dover Street Market stores, and select wholesale locations in 2026. It’s the newest example of a crossover between fashion and hospitality. Ultimately, people value the experience so Aman is strengthening its ecosystem with apparel that can bode worn at the resort itself.
“The retail spaces are going to get bigger in the new hotels, more interesting, more conceptual, which is super exciting for me,” Kristina Romanova, CEO and Creative Director of Aman Essentials, tells Vogue Business. “Before, it was not so strongly considered when the hotels were designed, it was more like a souvenir shop, a small addition to the experience. But now, like we’re taking it more as a lifestyle brand and obviously with this collaboration, we’re taking it to the next stage.”
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.”
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.
