Dior is getting rugged with its latest men’s collaboration.
The Parisian fashion house has teamed with Montana tactical gear brand Mystery Ranch on a collection of backpacks, belt bags and cross-body bags made with Cordura’s durable Advanced fabrics.
The first-time partnership combines “the informal, the practical with the purely aesthetic, and outdoor culture with the demands of luxury,” they said. Available now in Dior stores and dior.com, the line offers five styles—the Gallagator backpack, saddle bag, belt pouch, wallet, and tactical belt—made from Cordura’s Re/Cor RN66 fabric, a fully recycled, GRS-certified nylon launched in February 2022. Mystery Ranch and Cordura launched their first Re/Cor RN66 products as a part of the former’s District Series last year.
Dior Men artistic director Kim Jones said the collaboration was inspired by Christian Dior’s passion for the countryside. The late French designer once created couture fashion from his Provençal home, inspired by “simple and natural things.”
The collab nods to the American West, drawing on Mystery Ranch’s practical, tech-forward aesthetic. The Bozeman brand produces load-carriage equipment for firefighters, mountaineers, tactical professionals and rescue service providers. Its gear is developed for extreme weather resistance and durability and is tested in the nearby Rocky Mountains.
Cordura brand business development director Cindy McNaull said the material innovator wants to challenge the “throw-away mentality within the textile industry” with fabrics like Re/Cor. She wants the collection to make it “it easier for consumers to understand how one ingredient and quality craftsmanship can allow them to get the most from their gear and apparel.”
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“Recently we identified the emerging crossover lifestyle trend whereby consumers are looking for clothing, bags and packs that they can use for work and their leisure pursuits,” she added. “Traditional boundaries are changing—our customers are taking inspiration for their products from a wide variety of markets such as outdoor and urban lifestyle.” Cordura is applying its knowledge of durable fiber and fabric technologies “to help shape and define the fusion of functional fashion for the consumer of tomorrow,” McNaull said.
The Dior collaboration is “a testament to companies that care deeply about their crafts and the communities they serve,” Mystery Ranch founder Dana Gleason said, pointing to “the ultimate recognition” of working with a company such as the storied fashion house.
Dior’s Jones worked with the Mystery Ranch design team to identify technical details from the outdoor brand’s existing styles, like a Y-shaped three-zip closure system seen in its outdoor bags and packs. Gleason developed the system in 2007 so that outdoor athletes could quickly access items in their packs while backcountry skiing and participating in other rigorous activities. “Born out of aggravation and necessity, the three-zip design serves a unique set of families,” Gleason said. “It’s been adopted by climbers, hikers and backpackers, and now Paris.”
The partners developed the Gallagator backpack first, which features several interior storage spaces, compression straps across the front to expand as needed, and a detachable, water-repellant hooded cover. Then they reinvented the iconic Dior saddle bag for outdoor functionality with a double-zipped compartment, nylon jacquard shoulder strap, an accessories strap, aluminum buckle and a second, secure technical closure.
“Our company partnership with Cordura has a long and special history, but the launch of the Dior collection heralds a new chapter in our brand story and our unyielding focus on design and innovation,” Mystery Ranch president Alex Kutches said. “We make the most durable loadbearing packs in the world, and now thanks to our innovative fabric partners, we can take some meaningful steps at the product level with full pack lines made of recycled materials.”