The Art of the Journey: Inside the Landmark Collaboration Between Kim Jones and Aman Essentials

High above the bustling Otemachi district in central Tokyo, past the serene imperial gardens and framed by the distant, snow-capped silhouette of Mount Fuji, sits the 33rd-floor lobby of the Aman Tokyo. It is here, suspended in a vertiginous sanctuary of minimalist stone and floor-to-ceiling glass, that renowned British fashion designer Kim Jones reflects on a life lived out of a suitcase.

"One of the first things I do is go to the hotel shop and buy everything," Jones says with a knowing smile.

For a creative visionary whose storied career has spanned top-tier creative director roles at fashion powerhouses including Louis Vuitton, Fendi, and Dior Men, Jones is no stranger to the intricate machinery of the luxury business. Yet, his relationship with travel goes deeper than corporate logistics. It is rooted in a genuine passion for discovery, material exploration, and the acquisition of rare objects. His West London home is a museum of first-edition books and centuries-spanning artworks, while his trips are routinely punctuated by deep dives into local second-hand markets for research garments.

Jones is also, by his own calculation, an "Aman junkie"—a colloquial term reserved for those who have frequented more than five of the ultra-luxury hospitality group’s 36 global properties. Having stayed at roughly 30 of them, Jones ranks among the top two worldwide customers for the brand. It is a loyalty born of shared values: an uncompromising devotion to detail, understated elegance, and absolute peace.

That shared design ethos has now culminated in a major milestone: Aman x Kim Jones, the first-ever high-fashion designer collaboration for Aman Essentials, the lifestyle and retail arm of the hotel group.

Main Facts: The Anatomy of a Landmark Collaboration

The Aman x Kim Jones collection is far more sophisticated than the logo-emblazoned tote bags and baseball caps that currently dominate the luxury hotel merchandise market. Instead, it is a thoughtfully curated, fully realized capsule wardrobe designed for the discerning global traveler.

The collection spans daywear, eveningwear, loungewear, and activewear, reflecting Jones’ signature mastery of pragmatic luxury. Key pieces include:

• Loungewear: Unisex silk pyjama sets rendered in mineral-blue stripes and deep "kombu" green.
• Swimwear: Cord-edged bikinis, clean-cut boardshorts, and sleek, zip-fastening swimsuits.
• Footwear: Ultra-padded, fleece-lined nylon slippers complete with functional toggle fastenings.
• Technical Tailoring: Zip-up Harrington-style windsheeters, tailored abaca city shorts, and jersey hoodies.
• Eveningwear: A fluid, draped silk dress in rich kombu green designed for effortless transition from day-to-night resort living.

The collection officially launched with an exclusive rollout across select Aman properties worldwide, online via the Aman Essentials digital storefront, and at prestigious global retail destinations such as Dover Street Market in Ginza, Tokyo.

Chronology: From a Venetian Masked Ball to the Otemachi Tower

The genesis of the Aman x Kim Jones partnership traces back to a serendipitous encounter in Venice.

2018: The Initial Meeting

At a glittering masked ball in the floating city around 2018, Kim Jones crossed paths with Kristina Romanova, the CEO and creative director of Aman Essentials. Romanova, who oversees the lifestyle arm spanning clothing, leather goods, fragrance, and beauty, was well aware of Jones’ legendary affinity for the hotel group.

"Kristina knew how much I loved Aman, so I think she just asked me, and I said yes," Jones recalls.

2022–2024: Building Aman Essentials

While the seed was planted in Venice, the timing required careful cultivation. Aman Essentials was formally established in 2022, building upon an initial successful fragrance and beauty line that revealed a clear consumer appetite for tangible extensions of the Aman lifestyle. Under Romanova’s leadership, the brand began to conceptualize a comprehensive travel wardrobe.

2024–2025: Design and Development

Over a year and a half of intensive design, material sourcing, and prototype testing ensued. Jones approached the project from the perspective of an ultimate insider—someone intimately familiar with what a guest actually needs, whether they are packing for a remote desert tented camp or a sleek metropolitan high-rise.

The Tokyo Launch Event

The collaboration was officially unveiled in grand style in Tokyo. International guests were flown in aboard Japan Airlines’ luxurious new flagship Airbus A350-1000, arriving for a sprawling, meticulously curated eight-course dinner at the Aman Tokyo restaurant. Local luminaries, including fashion designer Yoon and rapper Verbal, joined international tastemakers to celebrate the debut, with the accompanying advertising campaign photographed on location across the Japanese capital.

Supporting Data & Brand Philosophy: The Cult of Aman

To understand the collection, one must understand the philosophy of Aman itself. Founded in 1988 by visionary hotelier Adrian Zecha, the brand was conceived as a direct antidote to the gaudy, over-the-top excesses characteristic of luxury resorts during that era. The name Aman translates to "peace" in Sanskrit.

Today, under the ownership and leadership of Vladislav Doronin, Aman has carefully scaled its portfolio while fiercely protecting its core identity: serene minimalism, architectural harmony, and hyper-exclusive locations—many situated near UNESCO World Heritage sites. From the limestone planes of Amanpuri in Phuket (designed by Ed Tuttle) to Aman-i-Khás in Rajasthan’s Ranthambore National Park—where Mughal-inspired canvas tents sit on the periphery of tiger habitats—each property offers a distinct sense of place.

The brand has also mastered subtle status symbols. Guests who complete a stay are awarded a unique, property-specific leather luggage tag—an understated badge of honor among elite travelers.

The introduction of Aman Essentials in 2022 expanded this universe. According to Romanova, the goal was simple yet demanding:

"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… 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."

Official Responses and Perspectives

Speaking on the partnership, Kristina Romanova emphasized that Jones was the only logical choice for Aman’s maiden voyage into high-fashion collaborations.

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

Romanova points to Jones’ legendary ability to marry utility with grace as the driving force behind the capsule’s success:

"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. He is the master of that."

For his part, Jones notes that the collaboration solved a very personal traveler’s dilemma:

"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. So it all just felt very organic, and real."

Jones also highlights the unique dialogue between the garments and their environments, noting the interplay between utilitarian design and the sensual fluidity of silk. Working closely with Romanova and Vladislav Doronin, Jones sought to capture the lifestyle of the "ultimate Aman couple"—balancing pragmatic functionality with effortless evening allure.

Implications for the Luxury and Hospitality Sectors

The Aman x Kim Jones partnership signals several broader shifts within the luxury, fashion, and hospitality landscapes:

1. The Elevation of Hotel Merchandise

For decades, hotel retail was an afterthought—a rack of embroidered polos and branded mugs tucked away in a corner of the lobby. The rise of "fashionable hotel merch," spearheaded by properties like Sunset Tower in Los Angeles or Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, has transformed hotel retail into a powerful brand marketing tool. Aman x Kim Jones takes this trend to its absolute apex, bridging the gap between high-end hospitality and Tier-1 couture design.

2. Experiential Retail and "Lifestyle Extensions"

Luxury consumers are increasingly prioritizing experiences over traditional material goods, yet they still desire tangible connections to the memories they create while traveling. By offering apparel that mirrors the minimalist aesthetic and sensory comfort of its physical resorts, Aman allows patrons to wear a piece of that sanctuary long after they have returned home.

3. The Future of Designer Collaborations

As independent fashion labels and legendary designers look for fresh avenues of creative expression outside the grueling traditional fashion week calendar, partnerships with ultra-luxury hospitality brands offer a compelling alternative. For Kim Jones—who recently announced the upcoming launch of his eponymous label for A/W 2027—collaborating with Aman demonstrates a forward-thinking approach to design that transcends seasonal trends, focusing instead on timeless utility, emotional resonance, and the eternal art of travel.