A superstitious designer: the story of Christian Dior and his brand

Christian Dior was born in 1905 in the seaside town of Granville, France. His father was a wealthy fertilizer manufacturer. His parents didn't let him go to fine arts school, saying it wouldn't help him find a real job. Initially, at his parents' request, he enrolled at the Institute of Political Science on Rue Saint-Guillaume and studied there for a while, but then dropped out. And again, he opened an art gallery to deal with art, which is what he really wanted. In 1932, the gallery was closed due to economic difficulties during the Great Depression.

Christian Dior was hired by fashion designer Robert Piguet in 1937. In 1942, Dior joined the fashion house of Lucien Lelong, where Balmain was the chief designer. He also worked in Lelong during the Second World War.

Dior fashion house

On April 18, 1946, while working for Lucien Lelong, Christian Dior met with Marcel Boussac, the most famous of the post-war industrialists. Boussac wanted to invite Christian Dior to his fashion house. Dior wasn't sure and instead thought he was ready to open a fashion house for himself. In 1946, with the support of Boussac, the Dior Fashion House opened in Paris.

The first collection called New Look, presented on February 12, 1947, took the stage. This 90-piece collection changed the flow of fashion. Overall, the collection showcased more feminine designs in contrast to the popular wartime fashions, with chubby skirts, tight waists and soft shoulders. The designer was suddenly at the top of the fashion world.

Stars flocked to Christian Dior. Everyone from Rita Hayworth to Margot Fonteyn wanted clothes for themselves in this New Look collection. With so many famous women wearing their dresses, it's no surprise that the brand has grown so fast and cemented itself as one of the most iconic brands in tailoring history.

Seven years after the opening of the first store, Dior has grown fivefold. It had 28 workshops and employed more than 1000 people. A visionary fashion designer, Christian Dior was also a modern corporate executive. In 1949, the Dior boutique opened in New York. In 1952, Christian Dior Models Limited was founded in London. Dior started off with perfume by introducing Miss Dior, which he dedicated to his sister.

The Christian Dior brand continued to grow. And Dior dressed the biggest stars of the time. He even outfitted Marlene Dietrich for the role of Alfred Hitchcock in Stage Fright. His designs became a fixture in many stars' closets in the late '40s and early '50s.

Christian Dior died in 1957 while on vacation in Montecatini, Italy. After this death, the designer's young assistant Yves Saint Laurent, who is only 21 years old, took over Dior's work as the brand's chief designer. The 21-year-old Saint Laurent continued Dior's legacy and largely retained his original creative vision. However, he tried to bring the brand to a softer silhouette, loosening the pinched waist and freeing up some of the build. When Saint Laurent was called up for service in the French army in 1960, he left the brand.

Dior's influential creative leaders

Marc Bohan and LVMH

Marc Bohan joined the ship after Yves Saint Laurent left the brand. It took Christian Dior's classic concept and streamlined it a bit, bringing it to the 1960s. This gave his a more modern twist while staying true to his Christian Dior look. With Bohan, Christian Dior has once again become the feminine brand loved by women everywhere and still feels rooted in its founder.

Bohan stayed with Christian Dior for over a decade and continued to build the brand, making it even more successful internationally. It has made Christian Dior more accessible than ever before by launching ready-to-wear and baby clothes. Stores began to open in cities such as London and Hong Kong, and Christian Dior rose to the top of the fashion world.

However, in 1978 the Boussac Group, which oversaw the brand, filed for bankruptcy. Christian Dior has been bought by Bernard Arnault, the billionaire behind LVMH Moët Hennessy. Despite being incorporated into LVMH, Christian Dior has continued to be its own impressive independent brand.

With the new orientation, Gianfranco Ferre was hired as the Stylist Director in 1989. He not only entered Haute Couture, but also completely designed Christian Dior Couture, bringing a new wave to the Christian Dior brand. Ferre took Dior to another level by bringing his own sense of style to the brand, which included a more refined look than he had seen before.

John Galliano

After Ferre's tenure, John Galliano took over as Creative Director. He has not only offered clothes but a stunning wardrobe from head to toe to every star you can imagine, including Diana, Princess of Wales. Galliano's 'saddle' bags, which became a staple for the Christian Dior brand, were popular with almost everyone. Still, Princess Diana's favorite was a bag that Galliano later named Lady Dior with Diana's approval.

Maria Grazia Chiuri

Christian Dior made a mark in the history books when the house hired its first female Creative Director in 2016: Maria Grazia Chiuri, ex-Valentino. Chiuri created her famous feminist-centered line by adding a feminine touch to Christian Dior, but her direction still felt in line with the line created by Dior years ago. Although all the men before it were extremely talented in fashion and created beautiful garments for women, it wasn't until Chiuri took over that the brand felt that it had fully embraced femininity and integrated with the modern woman.

Digital and Dior

Due to Covid-19, many fashion houses have had to re-imagine their fashion shows in 2020. Instead of performing physical fashion shows, it switched to filmed and live broadcast presentations. Dior was also part of this list. Dior Homme, who has been the Creative Director of Kim Jones since 2019, showcased the Pre-Fall 2021 collection via the virtual track, in addition to creating a doll-sized Couture collection. Only time will tell if the brand will continue to show off their clothes this way.

Successful fashion house nowadays, it has a wide range of products from cosmetics to stylish clothes, from eye-catching accessories to perfumery. The fashion icon, which is especially sought after by female customers, is among the most expensive and most luxurious brands in the fashion industry.