Has Kim Jones designed the ultimate hotel merch?

‘One of the first things I do is go to the hotel shop, and buy everything,’ says the British fashion designer Kim Jones, who – having held roles at Louis Vuitton, Fendi and Dior Men – is well-versed in the business of travel. And, indeed, in the collection of rare and obscure objects: his west London address houses first-edition books and century-spanning artworks; when we meet, in Tokyo, he has spent the day trawling the city’s second-hand shops for research garments to take back to his London studio (he has just announced the launch of an eponymous label, Kim Jones, which will begin with an A/W 2027 collection next year).

We are in the 33rd-floor lobby of Aman Tokyo, the hotel group’s vertiginous outpost in the city, which occupies the upper six floors of the Otemachi Tower in the Chiyoda business neighbourhood (the impressive view stretches across Tokyo, from the imperial gardens at the hotel’s base to the Tokyo Tower in the south, and even – on a clear day – the snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji on the horizon). Jones is what is colloquially known as an ‘Aman junkie’, the name given to those who have visited more than five of Aman’s 36 properties, though he has far overshot this milestone; by his estimate, he has visited ‘about 30’, and is in the top-two worldwide customers.

The story behind Kim Jones’ collaboration with Aman Essentials

‘Every detail is considered and already done before you get there,’ he says of Aman, which was founded by hotelier Adrian Zecha in 1988 as a riposte to the gaudy excesses of other luxury resorts of the era. In the decades since – now led by owner and CEO Vladislav Doronin – Aman, which began with the Ed Tuttle-designed Amanpuri in Phuket, Thailand, has honed a vision of serene minimalism (linear planes of limestone and marble; floor-to-ceiling glass; meditative gardens and pools) and arresting locations (several are in, or in close proximity to, Unesco heritage sites; the Tokyo outpost is a rare city-centre Aman). The name ‘Aman’ itself is derived from the Sanskrit word for ‘peace’.

‘Every Aman that I stay at, I know the people that work there – some of them for ten, 15 years,’ Jones continues. ‘So it’s just like coming home. I have the same room, I have the same set-up, and I can relax. And they are all so beautiful in different ways – here, [in Tokyo], you are looking out to concrete and glass; in Aman-i-Khás a tiger can walk past your tent.’ (The latter is located in Ranthambore National Park in Rajasthan, India and comprises a series of Mughal-inspired canvas tents for guests.)

So when Kristina Romanova, the CEO and creative director of Aman Essentials, the hotel’s lifestyle arm, which spans clothing, leather goods, fragrance and beauty products, approached Jones about a collaboration, it took little soul-searching. ‘We met at a masked ball in Venice, in around 2018,’ says Jones. ‘Kristina knew how much I loved the Aman, so I think she just asked me, and I said yes. It took about a year and a half to get to the point we are now.’ (The collection has now launched in selected Aman outposts and online, as well as at a handful Dover Street Market locations, including Ginza, Tokyo.)

‘It was the first collaboration of this magnitude that we had undertaken,’ adds Romanova. ‘When we started thinking about collaborating with a designer, we were just like: it’s got to be Kim.’

And, while hotel merch is certainly having a moment, Aman x Kim Jones goes far beyond the gift-shop branded caps and tote bags that have become increasingly ubiquitous among the style set. ‘There’s the whole merch aspect of Aman that people love,’ says Jones, referring to collectibles like the leather luggage tag you receive after your stay (they are unique to each property, and have become a subtle status symbol for those in the know). ‘But I was really thinking about what you wear at the Aman – you know, the things that you might have left behind when you packed in a rush, or what you might want when you’ve been at the resort for a while.

‘I always end up going to the shop and buying stuff, and then just wearing it the whole time,’ he continues. ‘So it all just felt very organic, and real.’

So what are Jones’ travel essentials? There are those items one might expect to be able to purchase at a hotel store: pyjama sets (here constructed from silk in mineral-blue stripes or a deep ‘kombu’ green), swimwear (bikinis edged in woven cord; board-style shorts; sleek swimming costumes with visible zip fastenings), and slippers (ultra-padded with a fleece interior and toggle fastenings). But there are also garments made for traversing a new destination: a series of ‘technical tailoring’ captures Jones’ knack for pragmatic luxury (think: tailored abaca city shorts; zip-up Harrington-style jackets), while activewear comprises base-layer tanks, leggings and bralettes. Completing the line-up is a draped silk dress, should one be without an outfit for an evening at the hotel bar.

‘There’s a functional utilitarianism to the clothes, but there’s also something sexy to the silk story. I was thinking about the Aman couple, and obviously we have one part of the ultimate Aman couple here,’ Jones says, gesturing to Romanova (she is the partner of owner and CEO Vladislav Doronin). ‘I was talking to Vlad, and I was talking to you, and thinking about how we could make [these pieces] become reality.’

‘It’s got to be versatile, functional, but it has to have this understated elegance, and I think that’s what Kim is very well known for,’ says Romanova. ‘He is the master of that.’

The accompanying campaign was photographed in Aman Tokyo and across the city, with the launch marked by a sprawling eight-course dinner in the hotel’s restaurant (local attendees included rapper Verbal and designer Yoon; international guests were shuttled in by Japan Airlines’ luxurious new flagship vessel, the Airbus A350-1000). ‘I’ve been staying here since before it was open, it just feels like being in the future,’ says Jones about the choice of location. ‘Then you go up to the rooms, and they are so beautiful and spacious. And the baths – [I love] getting in that bath and just staring out at all of the lights.’

‘Tokyo was our first urban destination for Aman, and it was the first place I stayed in the city,’ adds Romanova. ‘I came for the opening, and it was such a defining moment for my personal taste to experience Japan and all the attention to detail. Everything has its purpose, and I think it really defined the way that I look at things.’

Aman Essentials launched in 2022, after an initial beauty line revealed a desire among guests for items they could take home with them to remember their stay (or, indeed, for those yet to spend a night but simply wishing to indulge in the lifestyle). ‘When we were going through options for names, we were like: what do we call it? It had to capture that essence of what we represent, and it’s really the essentials on your trip, or on your holidays, and this [is the thinking] behind every product,’ says Romanova. ‘Like, what do I need during my stay? Whether it’s a piece of clothing, pyjamas, a hat, a perfume, or a face mask, we are basically building that perfect traveller’s wardrobe.’

By Jack Moss