Photo: Moses Ng/Hong Kong Tatler

Audiophiles, rejoice. Dior Homme just launched its first audio range in collaboration with Sennheiser. Featuring four solution sets for home, travel, daily or pocket use, the line includes three different headphones, an amplifier and custom leather cases in various combinations.

(Related: Oh Boy! Guess Who Has Teamed Up With DiorHomme For SS17)

We caught up with Serge Brunschwig, president of Dior Homme, at the worldwide launch party in Hong Kong to talk about chance encounters and his passion for music.

How did the collaboration come about? 

Serge Brunschwig Comité Colbert of France and Meisterkreis of Germany organised a joint design competition for student projects that combined a German brand with a French brand, and there was a project on Sennheiser and Dior.

Oliver Berger from Sennheiser and myself were on the jury. Afterwards, there was a cocktail at the German embassy in Paris, and we started to chat. That’s how it started.

Photo: Courtesy of Dior Homme

Did you consider working with any other headphones brands?

SB Well, the idea came from this encounter. I think it’s quite typical for collaborations—there is an encounter between two persons, and suddenly there is a common idea, a shared desire to do something.

We realised that the two maisons had a lot in common. We are both all about tradition, and extreme quality. So it was a natural pairing, and a very good fit with DNA, communication, clientele.

What kind of music do you like?

SB I enjoy a lot of classical music. My mother was a violinist, so I’ve listened to violin all my life. But I listen to all kinds of music. I love jazz, and of course soul too, and today’s music.

Photo: Moses Ng/Hong Kong Tatler

Do you play the violin?

SB I mean, I try. (laughs) At age six, I was already on the violin, but my sister was better. Finally, I did maths—I was good at [that]—but I continued to listen to music. I listened to a lot of music while I was doing maths.

And when I was really doing maths problems, it could only be classical music. You have to concentrate, and classical music was always the best for that.

(Related: Buy This Present For The Classical Music Geeks In Your Life)

Do you have a favourite violinist, or a favourite composer?

SB The ones from my childhood, that my mother was listening to—Isaac Stern, people like that. I heard Isaac Stern here in Hong Kong.

I remember we got tickets—second row. The concert starts, and here I have Isaac Stern in front of me, and he was—I mean, he played for me. You know? I could feel it. I catch his eyes, and he plays the whole concerto, Mozart’s Violin Concerto No.3, his eyes in my eyes. You cannot imagine. 

Photo: Courtesy of Dior Homme

Do you attend a lot of orchestras or operas?

SB Yes, I do, I do. We have a new philharmonic in Paris, a new hall designed by Jean Nouvel, and the programming is fantastic, so you could go every night. I don’t have time to go every night, but I try to go from time to time. 

You really enjoy live performances. When do you normally use headphones?

SB I use it on the plane and in hotels, so it’s always in my suitcase or briefcase now. It’s a pleasure—a moment of relaxation.

Finally, what would you pair the headphones with from the collection?

SB Any outfit that you can buy at Dior Homme would be complemented very well by the headphones. Mr. Dior, and our designers since, has always been about the silhouette. Mr. Dior wanted to dress the woman from head to toe, and everything would fit the silhouette. It’s the same here with the headphones.

Kris Van Assche, Artistic Director of Dior Homme has curated a special Spotify playlist for this collaboration. Find out more here.