FW17 Moshpit Patch Denim Jacket

The Fall Winter 2017 Show of Dior was the height of Kris van Assche’s period as the creative director. The collaboration between the house and Dan Witz, which featured Menswear pieces glanced by extraordinary paintings by Witz, resulted in some of the craziest Dior pieces of the last decade. 

Seeing a Dan Witz painting fascinates the viewer with it’s level of detail. It is hard to tell that these hyperreal paintings are just done by hand rather than photographed. The street artist’s deft hand is perfectly seen at work in his Mosh Pit series, which shows excessive concert-goers in different stages of rowdiness. The depth and color that Witz has applied to these paintings are astounding, as good as the raw pictures.

Witz says that he started painting when he was looking for a translation from his rock musician days in his 20’s. He discovered that painting had the potential to offer him the same adrenalin that he found in music performance. Naturally, the punk rock scene was one of his inspirations. He would fit a camera on a pole and lift it over the crowd to capture chaotic moments. The few lucky shots that perfectly captured the animated crowd would then form a base to build up hyperreal canvas pieces.

„When all was said and done I have to say I was pleasantly surprised at how cool the clothes were. These couture people are artists. All their choices: the draping, the muted color palette, the scale, I totally approved of. Even the sequinned suit worked really well. But yeah, this rates as totally one of the weirdest experiences I’ve ever had.“ - Witz about the Dior collab