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T H E
L U X U RY
B R A N D
Christian Dior
Following on from last month’s Luxury Brand story on Chanel, we delve into the world of Christian Dior and the ‘New Look’ that revived France’s illustrious fashion industry in addition to creating many controversies... Words: Tilly Wilkinson.
Christian Dior was born in Granville, a seaside town in Normandy. He was the second of five children born to Madeleine and Maurice Dior, a wealthy fertiliser manufacturer. Dior’s family had hoped he would become a diplomat, but Dior was artistic and wished to be involved in art. In 1928, Dior left school and received money from his father to finance a small art gallery, where he and a friend sold art by the likes of Pablo Picasso. Three years later, the family experienced a financial disaster and the gallery had to be closed. Dior went on to be employed by designer Robert Piguet, working alongside big names like Balmain, Dior left Piguet when he was called up for military service. In 1942, when Dior left the army, he joined the fashion house of Lucien Lelong, where he and Balmain were the primary designers. For the duration of WWII, Dior designed dresses for the wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators. In 1946, Marcel Boussac, a successful entrepreneur known as the richest man in France, invited Dior to design for Philippe et Gaston. Dior refused, wishing to make a fresh start under his own name rather than reviving an old brand. With Boussac’s backing, Dior founded his fashion house.
In 1947, Dior launched his first fashion collection. The show was presented in the salons of the company’s headquarters at 30 Avenue Montaigne, Paris. This new collection went down in fashion history as the ‘New Look’ (right). The collection was a revolutionary era for women in the 40s, credited with having revived the fashion
industry of France. Its silhouette was characterised by a small, nipped-in waist and a full skirt falling below mid-calf length, which emphasised the bust and hips. It showcased stereotypically feminine designs in contrast to the popular fashions of wartime. Dior retained some masculine aspects as they continued to hold popularity through the 1940s, but he wanted to include more feminine style. The full-skirted silhouette influenced other fashion designers well into the 1950s, and Dior gained a number of prominent clients from Hollywood and the European aristocracy. It was embraced by stylish women such as Princess Margaret. It’s still influencing designers now from Miuccia Prada to Vivienne Westwood.
However, not everyone was pleased with the New Look. Some considered the amount of material to be wasteful, especially after years of cloth rationing. Feminists were outraged, feeling that these corseted designs were restrictive and regressive, and that they took away a woman’s independence. Dior went on to revolutionise the perfumery industry with the launch of the Miss Dior parfum. In 1949, the ‘Diorama’ perfume was released and the New Look line alone made a profit of 12.7 million Francs. By the end of the year, Dior fashions made up 75% of Paris’s fashion exports and 5% of France’s total export revenue. In 1950, Jacques Rouët, the general manager of Dior, devised a licensing program to place the now-renowned name of ‘Christian Dior’ visibly on a variety of luxury goods. It was placed on neckties, furs, hats, gloves, handbags, jewellery, lingerie, and scarves. Licensing became a very profitable move recognised globally and all couture houses followed suit. By the mid-1950s, the House of Dior operated a well-respected fashion empire. >>
ree ings You Didn’t Know About Christian Dior... HUMBLE BEGINNINGS He was born the second of five children to a wealthy family, but after the Great Depression and the collapse of his father’s business, Dior supported himself by selling fashion illustrations worth 10 cents each.
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A HOMAGE TO HIS SISTER Dior’s younger sister Catherine was a member of the French Resistance sent to the Ravensbrück concentration camp. She was released and Christian paid homage to her by naming his debut fragrance Miss Dior.
A MYSTERIOUS DEATH Some reports say Dior died of a heart attack after choking on a fish bone, while one of Dior’s acquaintances rumoured that it was caused by a ‘strenuous sexual encounter.’ The exact circumstances of his death are still unknown.