The Lore of Dior

Dior Conceived 

Christian Dior was born January 21 1905 on the coast of Normandy, to a wealthy family. He grew up in a pale pink, floral adorned childhood home, where he spent most of his time admiring the seamstresses at work or the garden blooming. Becoming a prominent fashion illustrator in his early adult years by sending out sketches to magazines, Christian knew from a young age that a life of design was in his future. From 1941-1946 he worked in the House of Lelong, one of the few couture houses open in France during German occupation, alongside Pierre Balmain. There, he learned a great deal of techniques many of which he translated into his own designs later on. In 1946 Christian Dior was approached by a wealthy textile giant and was offered to opportunity to resurrect an old fashion house, Dior rejected the idea of working under another designers name, and insisted on opening his own couture house instead. On December 16 1946, The House of Christian Dior opened in Paris, with its first collection unveiling a couple months after on the 12th of February 1947. The show debuted 90 ensembles, including the infamous "New Look" that was characterized by a cinched waist and elongated skirt. Dior would name each look after an activity or affiar in which he could see the wearer possibly wearing the look.

Yves Saint Laurent

Christian was very fond of tarot readers and on horoscopes, which many think gave him insight on his early and sudden death, since he left his legacy appointed to a young Yves Saint Laurent early on. Saint Laurent was appointed the head of the fashion empire at just 21 years old, and carried the legacy of Dior for two years. Yves, really helped establish the essence of the fashion house even after Christians Death, with keeping floral accents alive and other techniques Christian taught him personally. He really focused on the wearability of the pieces and strove to make the garments more wearable, he did this by accentuating garments in diffrent areas and by removing inner frame work, such as corset linings.

John Galliano 

Another infamous designer that worked at Dior as the creative director, was John Galliano.  Some might notably recognize that Galliano was the first step in creating a new, younger, and more rebellious atmosphere at Dior. He was very moved by the media, which fittingly translated into his work, with his most famous print at Dior being the controversial :"Newspaper Print". The print received a lot of backlash, as people were saying it was insensitive and was trying to appropriate homelessness, Galliano however ignored the critiques and labeled the 2000's collection "Hobo Chic". Galliano was also very fond of theater and dramatic scenery, which translated into his runway through the scenery and garments alike. He said that his main purpose was to adorn the female figure and to create an ode of sensuality and fantasy.

Fragrances 

Naming the fragrance was an easy task for Christian to do. Inspired by the humble and devoted life of his younger sister Catherine, the name came about when playing with names for his new fragrance debut when Catherine waltzed into the room and and someone exclaimed "Look, there's Miss Dior!". The lighthearted english Miss juxtaposed the rigid French Mademoiselle, which appealed to a young Christian, whom instantly followed suit, naming the infamous fragrance  "Miss Dior". The perfume was made with notes of flowers which all blossomed in Dior's Childhood home, with an intention to "create a fragrance that is like love." Catherine fittingly enough was very involved in the planting and preparation of the flowers for the fragrances. 

Dior Now

Maria Grazia Chiuri is the current creative director of Dior since 2016, she is the first woman to hold this position at the Maison. Since taking on the position many have criticized her for abandoning the theatrical aspect that many other creative directors before her incorporated into their shows and costume designs. She instead has aimed her focus on the wearability and design of the garments and looks at clothing as a "house for the body" stating the undesirability of living in an uncomfortable house. Marias approach to customer acquisition is very organic as she envisions her designs as a solution to the modern woman. As Dior continues to grow as a brand and in its history, it is exciting to see new approaches and implementations being made at the maison. By sticking to its creative roots and strong foundations, Dior has managed  to uphold their prestigious reputation in a world of oversaturated luxury brands, crucial for long term success and continious brand exclusivity.

References 

https://magazine.tank.tv/tank/2019/11/the-voyages-of-maria-grazia-chiuri

Homer, Karen. The Little Book of Dior. Welbeck, 2020.