History of the house dior. Christian Dior: the history of the brand from the beginning to the present day

Christian Dior was born on January 21, 1905 in the small Normandy town of Granville, a former fishing port on the English Channel in northwestern France. In 1911, little Christian's family moved to Paris. His parents were wealthy people, therefore, despite the fact that he was the second of five children, in his childhood he did not need anything. His father made a fortune trading chemical fertilizers, and his mother turned money into pleasure.

He received his primary education at home, and initially, at the insistence of his parents, he prepared for a diplomatic career. Christian entered the Free School of Political Science, but that was the end of his political activities. Instead of studying international law and geography, the future couturier spent time in museums, studied musical composition and painting. In 1928, Christian and his friend Jean Bonjac opened an art gallery where works by Derain, Matisse, Braque, Picasso were exhibited.

1931 was a tragic year for Christian: his mother dies of cancer, and his father, being a victim of fraud, suffers bankruptcy and becomes ill with tuberculosis. Christian's gallery is also closing, because for the most part it was financed by his father. It was then that he began to sell his drawings: sketches of hats and dresses are published in the magazine Le Figaro Illustre. Despite the fact that his hat models were used much great success than clothing, Christian decides to specialize in clothing models. In 1938 he was seen famous fashion designer Robert Piguet, but the war prevented the rapid development of a career. Dior goes into the army and serves in the south of France. But already in 1941 he returned to Paris and worked for the famous fashion house Lucien Lelong.

In 1942, Christian created a perfume laboratory, which then grew into the company Christian Dior Perfume. "It is enough to open the bottle for all my dresses to appear, and every woman I wear leaves behind a whole trail of desires. Perfume is a necessary addition to a woman's personality, this is the final chord for a dress, this is a rose with which Lancret signed his paintings," - Dior later explained his plan.

After the war, in 1946, with the financial support of the textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac, he opened his own fashion house.

In his very first collection in 1947, Dior creates a completely new concept new look. It was a "romantic line", with a new version of the crinoline, a slim waist and fitted bodice. In this silhouette, he embodied his own idea of ​​femininity, which was so lacking in the era of the war with her uniform and "labor service" for women. At first, the new designer was treated with apprehension, but a year later, all of Europe and America accepted new style.

It was thanks to his optimism and keen instinct to guess what post-war France needed that Dior was one of those who helped reclaim post-war Paris as the world's fashion capital.

Together with his partner Jaques Rouet, Dior became the first to use licensing agreements in the modeling business. Already in 1948, he streamlines the licensing of the production of his models in various regions of France and around the world. Thus, the Dior brand name quickly appeared in all corners of the globe.

The great designer died on October 24, 1957 at the age of 52 in Montecatini Terme (Italy, Tuscany). There is now a museum in his family home in Granville.

The house of Dior has become the cradle of many outstanding designers of the 20th century. So, in 1953, the young Yves Saint Laurent came to the company. After sudden death Dior, Yves Laurent becomes the leading fashion designer of Dior. After Saint Laurent is called to military service in 1960, his place is taken by Marc Bohan, who led the house of Dior until he was replaced by Gianofranco Ferre in 1989.

In October 1996, John Galliano, known as one of the subversives of the foundations of fashion, who had worked on collections for Givenchy for the previous two seasons, was approved for the position of chief fashion designer at Dior. Galliano's approach was very reminiscent of Dior's in 1947. For example, unlike Chanel, Dior claims a romantic and very feminine style that emphasizes luxury rather than comfort. Galliano, as a follower of Dior, creates a soft women's fashion, skillfully combining today's extravagance and freedom of style with elements inspired by Dior's luxurious and richly finished pieces.

Dior was also a pioneer of active synthesis haute couture and scenography: was a costume designer in several performances ("School of Scandal" by Richard Sheridan at the Theater de Maturin, 1940; a number of productions by Roland Petit, 1950s) and films (directed by Claude Autan-Lar, Alfred Hitchcock, etc.) . He designed stage costumes for pop and movie stars such as Edith Piaf, Marlene Dietrich and Gloria Swenson.

Christian Dior has always had a weakness for fragrances: "Perfume is an unsurpassed shade female individuality, this is the final touch of the image". Miss Dior, Diorama, Diorissimo, released during the life of Dior, Dioressence and Diorella - all these perfumes, in the names of which there is a cherished name, form a series of classic "Dior" fragrances. Their bottles and packaging are made in the introduced Dior himself corporate identity: range of Trianon gray, white and pink, medallions a la Louis XVI, satin ribbons, paper with the texture of matting in the rib "chicken foot".

Miss Dior was created in 1947 in just two months. A persistent and frankly feminine scent was unusual for that time. New look has long been history, and the fragrance that accompanied the triumphal procession of this style around the world is still incredibly popular. Author perfume composition is Serge Heftler Luiche. This amazing fragrance changed its "clothes" several times: it was presented both in an elegant bright pink amphora and in a strict "tweed" suit...

In 1949 a second feminine fragrance from Dior - Diorama, and in 1953 - the third Dior Eau Fraiche. Dior Eau Fraiche was the first Dior fragrance created by renowned perfumer Edmond Roudnitska. In this fragrance, he combined the freshness of citrus and the softness of powdery notes.

In Diorissimo, which appeared in 1956, Dior's talisman, the lily of the valley, plays the main role. Previously, lily of the valley notes were not present in perfumes, because none of the methods of collecting fragrant substances that existed at that time allowed obtaining the natural essence of this flower. For Diorissimo, the scent of lily of the valley was first artificially synthesized by Edmond Rudnitska.

Diorling - another women's fragrance - appears in 1963.

Finally, in 1966, the first fragrance for men, Eau Sauvage, was released. The bottle, designed by Pierre Dinand, is a transparent rectangular bottle with a classic style. This perfume has become a favorite for many men and is still very popular. In 1982, a new version appeared - Eau Sauvage Extreme, designed for young people. The bottle, created by Camin, is similar to the original, but in black. In 2001, a light summer version of Eau Sauvage 100% Glacon appeared with enhanced top notes.

In 1969, a spicy-oriental feminine fragrance appeared - Dioressence. This is a noble evening perfume, ideal for Evening Dress and updo. Perfume composition created by Guy Robert. The bottle was designed by Dior's own studio.

And closes the series of classic women's "Dior" Dior fragrances ella, released in 1972.

In 1976, the women's fragrance Dior Dior was released with notes of narcissus, lily of the valley and wood.

The second men's perfume Jules appeared in 1980. Just like its predecessor, this fragrance was a wild success. Unfortunately, now it is almost impossible to find it.

Dior's idea of ​​the disarming power of femininity is embodied in several intoxicatingly sensual fragrances with the shocking name Poison. Poison for Women by Dior has already been released in four editions - Poison (1985), Tendre Poison (1994), Hypnotic Poison (1998) and Pure Poison (2004).

The late 80s and 90s are the "golden age" of Dior perfumery. It was at this time that such famous fragrances, like the male Fahrenheit (1988), the female Dune (1991) and the male Dune pour Homme (1997), the female J "Adore (1999). crazy success of these perfumes has led to the emergence of various versions. So, in 2001 Fahrenheit Summer came out, in 2002 - Fahrenheit 0 Degres, and in 2004 - Fahrenheit Fresh. In 2004, two versions of the J "Adore fragrance were released - J" Adore Anniversaire En Or and J "Adore Summer Fragrance Alcohol Free.

The fragrance Dolce Vita (1995) is the quintessence of happiness that Christian Dior dreamed of giving to all women. He said: "I insist on the word 'happiness'. It seems that Alphonse Daudet wrote somewhere: "I would like to become a supplier of happiness through my works." So I, in my modest activity as a fashion designer, dream of the same thing ... Women, with their unmistakable instinct, must have understood: I wanted to make them not only more beautiful, but also happier. "In 1998, a light version appeared - Eau de Dolce Vita.

In 1995, the women's Eau Svelte appeared, and in 2000, two fragrances from the Eau de Dior series - Coloressence Energisante and Coloressence Relaxante.

Dior is the leader in the segment of fragrances for travel-retail, that is, for sale specifically in duty-free. The first of them - Remember Me - appeared in 2000. After that, 5 more such fragrances were released - Forever and Ever(2001), I Love Dior (2002), Chris 1947 (2003), Dior Me, Dior Me Not (2004) and Dior Star (2005).

In 2001, the Higher men's fragrance series was launched. Higher Black appeared in 2002 and Higher Energy in 2003.

Vanilla Dior Addict (2002) immediately fell in love with women who love sweet fragrances. For a long time it was the best seller among all Dior fragrances. In 2004, two versions of this perfume were released at once - Dior Addict Dior Twist and Dior Addict Eau Fraiche, and Dior Addict 2 should appear soon.

Prior to 2004, Dior had few men's fragrances. Apparently, the brand decided to catch up and released three men's perfume- Bois d "Argent Cologne, Cologne Blanche and Eau Noire Cologne. All of them are additions to the collection. fashion clothes Dior Homme designed by Hedy Slimane. He personally took part in the creation of perfume compositions and came up with the design of bottles. Bois d "Argent Cologne is based on notes of honey, patchouli and iris, Cologne Blanche is based on notes of rosemary, orange blossom and sweet almond, and Eau Noire Cologne is based on notes of cedar, lavender and vanilla.

In 2004, Lily Dior, a limited edition women's fragrance, was released. The fragrance of 1999 Lily, which was also produced in a limited edition, was taken as the basis. Both fragrances are based on the scent of the lily flower.

The latest releases from Dior are the men's Dior Homme and the women's Miss Dior Cherie, a modernized version of the classic Miss Dior.

Christian Dior is a great French couturier, whose name is inscribed in golden letters in the history of world fashion, the founder of the fashion house of the same name, included in the top 5 luxury brands in the world of fashion and beauty Christian Dior. The name Dior has become synonymous with luxury, grace and impeccable taste, and the great master's quotes about female beauty and what fashion and style are have long become winged.

Christian Dior was one of five children born to a successful chemical fertilizer dealer. Under the influence of the Christian family, after graduating from school, he successfully graduated from the School of Political Sciences, but did not begin to work in his specialty - an artist at heart, Dior gravitated towards art. Christian, together with his friend Jean Beaujean, opened an art gallery where the works of the Impressionists and Postmodernists were exhibited. However financial crisis 1929 made its own adjustments to the fate of the future couturier: due to lack of funding, the gallery had to be closed. Dior found a way to support himself and at the same time show his talent: he began to draw and sell sketches to Parisian fashion houses, as well as to illustrate the Le Figaro magazine. Even then, he realized that fashion is his vocation.

The talent of the young artist did not go unnoticed: Marcel Boussac, who believed in the great future of the designer, being a textile magnate, provided him with funding for the construction of a fashion house and the purchase of the necessary equipment and fabrics. The very first collection of the Christian Dior workshop, released in 1947, had the effect of an exploding bomb: dresses with chic crinolines and wasp waists ran counter to the policy of post-war material savings and unified silhouettes.

The couturier’s ideas are best explained by his quotes: “I wanted women to become beautiful again” and “The style that everyone called new is just my vision of fashion as it should be. However, my desire coincided with the desire of the public, and fashion became its slogan. Thanks to the American journalist Carmel Snow, the revolutionary style of Christian Dior has acquired the name new look. Dresses, jackets, ankle-length skirts heralded a renaissance of true feminine appeal.

Feminine silhouettes

New look: the rebirth of a woman

The Christian Dior fashion house has become the birthplace of new styles that most advantageously outline the female figure.
The fashion for dresses, skirts and jackets created by the great couturier is still relevant today.

New look silhouettes

Dresses

The silhouette of the new look is sloping shoulders without shoulder pads, a narrow bodice, an accentuated waist and a wide, flared skirt, diverging from the hips with soft folds. It was thanks to dresses of this cut that Christian Dior acquired world love and popularity, because in them any woman looks elegant and attractive. The master’s love for dresses is evidenced by his quotes: “Dresses are my whole life” and “I am obsessed with them, they take me through all the circles of hell and heaven.”

Fashion house decoration and decoration

The origin of the new look direction

Pencil skirt

Became a real classic and essential attribute, also invented by Christian Dior. Fitted hips, knee-length, this skirt looks great with tops and blouses, as well as with jackets and jumpers.

Peplum jacket

The master called the model he created "bar jacket". It was distinguished by a fitted cut, a narrow bodice and a short peplum diverging from the waist in waves. Christian Dior suggested wearing a bar jacket with a pencil skirt or dress. - straight silhouette relevant from the filing of the French couturier.

Bar jackets with peplum

Fluffy skirt

The skirts invented by the designer on a narrow bodice had a length either just below the knees or to the floor. Some models took 40 meters of fabric - the creations falling in exciting folds weighed several kilograms.

Christian Dior has captured the minds of fashionistas around the world for a long time. Each collection of the designer was expected with special impatience and accepted almost unconditionally. However, it was not without critics, Dior's attitude towards which can be understood from the quote: "Let it be better to scold on the front page than dedicate two lines to praise on the last page."

Collection details

During his life, Dior received many awards, including the Order of the Legion of Honor. However, fashion is not the only area to which the designer's talent extended: he created perfumes, accessories and glasses, designed costumes for movie actors, and also looked for and helped young talented designers to develop: with his blessing, Pierre Cardin, Frederic Caste entered the fashion world, Jean Louis Scherrer and other couturiers. The designer was also famous for his ability to choose the right words, almost everyone knows his quotes: “Fashion lives according to its own laws, it is not subject to all other laws.”

Handmade in the decor of clothing elements

The heritage of the master - fashion house Christian Dior

Even after more than half a century since the death of the couturier, the successors of his heritage carefully honor traditions and preserve style: the house of Christian Dior can be called one of the most conservative (in good sense) from French fashion houses.
Femininity remains a priority for modern art directors of the house - at Dior haute-couture shows you will not see neither androgynous models nor faceless outfits.

Among the art directors of the fashion house are Yves Saint Laurent, Gianfranco Ferre, as well as John Galliano and Raf Simons.

From the Dior 2016 show

perfume

Today Christian Dior is not only an atelier haute couture, but also a perfume brand that occupies the 4th place in the lists of world sales. The importance of perfume was highly appreciated by Christian Dior himself, here is part of it famous quote: "Perfume is the final, final touch image." The house's most popular fragrances are J`adore and Miss Dior, whose advertising campaigns featured such stars as Charlize Theron and Natalie Portman (on the next photo).

celebrity dresses

Christian Dior dresses regularly appear on the red carpets of various film festivals - actresses and socialites appreciate them for their unsurpassed luxury and emphasized femininity. In the next photo - the favorite of the house of Dior, Charlize Theron in a black dress with a train.

Celebrities in Dior dresses

Jennifer Lawrence (pictured) is known not only for her spectacular exits: Dior dresses with enviable regularity emphasize unusual beauty actresses.
At the Oscars, Jennifer wore a dress in a classic silhouette in a delicate pearl shade (in the next photo):

Dior dresses on the red carpet

Classic dresses with a narrow bodice and full floor skirt are chosen by such style icons as Sarah Jessica Parker (pictured) and Diane Kruger.

Dior choice of Sarah Jessica Parker

Diane Kruger in Dior dresses

famous eyewear models

In addition to clothing lines, Christian Dior is also known for its accessories: bags and Sunglasses, designed by its designers, become must-haves for fashionistas around the world.
This season, So Real glasses are incredibly popular (pictured). One of the first glasses tried on Rihanna, who recently became the face of the brand. The trend was picked up by fashion bloggers - photos of girls with So real glasses now and then appear on the net.

No less popular is the Technologic model (pictured) - modern, dynamic and lightweight glasses that emphasize the style of the owner. With futuristic frames and laconic colors, Technologic glasses have become a hit of the season - the fashion for them has swept the whole world.

Pilot and Millenium glasses became real classics of the house of Christian Dior - smooth shapes and bright colours optics are relevant at any time of the year.

Pilot and Millennium

The fashion and style created by the great designer have been setting the tone for almost a century. Modern fashion is unthinkable without the legacy of Christian Dior - an artist who allowed a woman to become a woman again and remain her forever, and the designer's quotes may well become quick guide in style: "Elegance is a symbiosis of simplicity, naturalness, individuality and attention to yourself and your clothes."

His story began in the post-war period with a resounding success: the proposal of women to shine again in their beauty after the hardships of previous years was met with a bang. It is hard to imagine that Christian Dior in just a decade created an incredible backlog for the prosperity of the Fashion House, the interest in which remains high to this day. Of course, this would not have been possible without financial support, which was fully provided by the textile magnate Marcel Boussac. Let's tell everything in order: about Christian Dior, about Marcel Boussac and about their brainchild, whose name is Dior Fashion House.

Christian Dior: the hard way to glory.

Christian Dior was born on January 21, 1905 in the small French town of Granville (a port town in Normandy) in large family successful businessman Maurice Dior. The father, who traded in chemical fertilizers, managed to earn a lot of money, and already in 1911 the family moved to Paris.

Christian began to draw early, dreaming of becoming a painter, but, as often happens, at the insistence of his parents, he had to prepare for a diplomatic career. Nature soon took its toll and at the age of 23, realizing that politics was not for him, the young Dior and his friend became the owners of an art gallery. This gallery exhibited nothing less than the works of artists known to the whole world today: Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse. However, 1931 brought a series of tragedies to the Dior family: a brother is diagnosed with a mental illness, his mother dies of cancer, his father goes bankrupt and falls ill with tuberculosis, while Christian himself is on the verge of depression. In addition to family tragedies and the loss of financial support from his father, the economic crisis led to a decline in sales in the Gallery and it had to be closed.

Barely recovering from such a deafening twist of fate, Christian Dior took a few not very good luck use your talent as a painter. When they finally managed to establish cooperation with print media and supply sketches of hats and dresses there, and then an invitation was received to work for the Parisian couturier Robert Piguet, the Second World War began.

And only after the war, life turned with Dior its better side: the case brought the future fashion designer (at that time he was already over 40 years old) with the wealthy manufacturer Marcel Boussac, who needed an artist in order to revive one of the fashion houses.

Marcel Boussac: not missing a single opportunity.

Marcel Boussac was born in 1889 in the provincial French town of Chateroux in the family of a simple cloth merchant. His mother ran away from the monotonous provincial life in search of a more beautiful metropolitan. Marseille grew strong-willed and ambitious, and the small town was also not for him. He took step by step to his dreams, each was verified and timely: Boussac did not risk too much, but did not miss a single opportunity that life and time provided him in full.

The first success was the acquisition before the First World War of a cotton mill, which operated at full capacity during the war, producing khaki fabrics for army uniforms.

Next incredible good decision began buying stocks of extra-strong fabric for the wings of fighter aircraft, which the British government urgently sold after the end of the war. To sell new products, a giant retail store Airplane fabrics and smart advertising ensured incredible success for a range of products from children's suits to trousers and skirts that could withstand the most ruthless treatment. British aircraft fabrics ended so quickly that they had to produce such fabrics on their own in their own factories. This is how airplane fabrics made Marcel Boussac the king of textiles.

Boussac also survived World War II with a profit, and after it ended, he bought Christian Dior and a movement began in the luxury clothing niche.

Fashion house Dior: lightning success and 70 years of prosperity.

At a time when the desire for luxury was gradually being replaced by military hardships, financial opportunities and promising creative idea. Vision female image Dior and Boussac's commercial flair resulted in a fruitful collaboration and on December 16, 1946 in Paris they opened fashion house. So an unknown artist got his own brand, and the billionaire of aircraft fabrics became a sponsor of the Christian Dior Fashion House. It is curious that Christian Dior never had the rights to the brainchild of the same name: he remained only a hired fashion designer until the end of his life.

Two months later, on February 12, 1947, at 30 Avenue Montaigne (today the House of Dior is still located within the walls of this mansion, so beloved by the fashion designer), the first and most famous winter fashion collection Dior, who was called "King". Wanting the ladies to quickly forget about the horrors of war and the asceticism inherent in this harsh time, he created a completely different image: feminine shoulders, long skirts, thin waist, emphatically lush (or tightly fitting chest) top. The collection introduced a new term into the fashion dictionary: "New Look". It was about romantic, elegant, feminine style clothes, and the purpose of the outfit was to turn the figure of any lady into an ideal one. Christian Dior himself described the new style he created as "a return to the ideal of civilized happiness."

The symbol of the collection was the Bar suit, captured in a photograph by Willy Mayvoid: a jacket in cream silk with rounded peplums, fitting the contours of the body, and a puffy black pleated skirt. The ensemble was complemented by a small black hat, gloves and graceful pointed-toed shoes, as opposed to the square-toed platform shoes worn by the guests of the show.

The success was resounding. Stars and royalty sought to dress in Dior's outfits, and millions ordinary women found a dream of a luxurious life and, as far as possible, dressed up in styles a la Dior.

In the same year, the perfume brand "Christian Dior Parfum" was launched, and the couturier called the first fragrance "Miss Dior". Their delicate scent with the scent of lilies of the valley - the favorite flowers of Christian Dior's mother - matched the new silhouette, light and airy. Illustrations for advertising company Christian Dior trusted.

Later came "Diorama" (Diorama) and "Diorissimo" (Diorissimo). “Perfume is an unsurpassed shade of female personality, the final touch of the image,” Dior liked to repeat.

For a decade, Christian Dior created legendary collections. The names spoke for themselves: "Cyclone", "Tulip", "Corolla", "Vertical", and the designer drew ideas from what he had loved so long and reverently: in museums, literature, flowers and theater. A reverent attitude towards a woman and an incredible sense of aesthetics resulted in the creation of the image of a flower woman, an ideal lady.

The couturier also paid attention to theater and cinema in his work - he created stage costumes. Olivia de Havilland, Ava Gardner or Marlene Dietrich looked brilliant in Parisian costumes.

The fashion designer always considered the dress to be the main outfit - a dress that reveals feminine beauty. Dior practically did not use bright colors, instead of them he chose classic ones: white, black, gray, brown, shades of smoky gray. Among the favorite colors were pink, as a symbol of joy, and gray, suitable for any dress. Dior used embroidery, but it was never redundant, it served only as a decoration for dresses. The main thing has always been a cut, not a pattern or decoration.

In the world of fashion, such finds by Dior as a jacket with a peplum, bouffant skirts, pencil style, polka dot print, pumps, a must-have perfume train, costume jewelry, a black belt that accentuates the waist, and lace underwear.

Speaking of jewelry, the most famous motif was the lily of the valley brooch. Dior believed that this delicate flower brings him good luck. He also became the main note in the perfume.

Another innovation from Dior is the presentation of collections: fashion models performed theatrically and never got bored. Every six months, new directions were proposed: the couturier could radically change the length of the skirt and even the entire silhouette.

In the Soviet Union, the New Look style first appeared on television screens in the film "Carnival Night" in 1957.

Christian Dior died unexpectedly in 1957 - his heart suddenly stopped at the age of only 52 years. Since then, many talented and completely different fashion designers have stood at the helm of the brand.

Yves Saint Laurent (1957-1960)

Starting to work at Dior in 1953, Yves Saint Laurent managed to attract the attention of Christian Dior, who in 1955 appointed him as his assistant. And after the death of Dior, Yves Saint Laurent headed the Fashion House and presented his first collection for Dior - Trapeze.

Investors of the house of Dior considered the style of the young designer too avant-garde, and under the pretext of conscription for military service in 1960, Saint Laurent was forced to leave the post.

Mark Boan (1960-1989)

He served as creative director of Christian Dior for almost three decades. During this time, the idea was reformulated as "clothing for real women". At first, the lightness and simplicity of the lines were accepted with a bang, but later this led to the fact that interest in the brand began to fade.

Gianfranco Ferre (1989-1996)

Italian Gianfranco Ferre took over as designer for Christian Dior in 1989 and presented a collection that marked the return of Dior's style. During his work at Christian Dior, Ferre received the Golden Thimble award. In 1996, the designer left the company in order, according to the official version, to concentrate on the work of his own brand.

John Galliano (1996-2011)

The young extravagant Briton John Galliano brought his vision of the brand next. His first Misia Diva collection added even more brightness and theatricality to the Christian Dior style.

During the years of work at Christian Dior, Galliano founded his own brand, but drug and alcohol addiction led to scandals and the dismissal of John Galliano as creative director of Christian Dior. After Galliano's departure, the brand's design team was temporarily taken over by his deputy, Bill Gaten.

Raf Simons (2011–2015)

At the end of 2011, the name of the new creative director of the house of Dior was announced. Raf Simons, in contrast to John Galliano, produced discreet collections in which he relied on modern linear silhouettes.

During the three and a half years of his creative leadership of the house, sales of Christian Dior grew by 60%. However, the designer soon abandoned the honorary position in favor of his own brand.

Maria Grazia Chiuri (since 2016)

In July 2016, Maria Grazia Chiuri, formerly of Valentino, was appointed Creative Director of Christian Dior. She became the first woman in this position in the entire seventy-year history of the brand. In the collections already shown, Chiuri emphasized everyday life, targeting a younger audience.

House of Dior today

Today, under the Christian Dior brand, women's and men's clothing, shoes, accessories and perfumes, as well as cosmetics, watches and jewelry. In 2017, the French fashion house Dior celebrated the 70th anniversary of the first fashion show. Many events were timed to coincide with the anniversary, including the release of a series of books about the brand's collections. Each book is dedicated to designers who different time collaborated with the company: Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Boan, Gianfranco Ferre, John Galliano, Raf Simons and Marie Grazia Curie. The first edition covers the story of the founder of the fashion house - Christian Dior.

Christian Dior Museum (Granville, Normandy)

The main museum of Christian Dior is located in Normandy, in the city of Granville. Built at the end of the 19th century, Villa les Rhumbs passed to the Dior family in 1905, where the future famous fashion designer was born. In a bourgeois mansion surrounded by a garden, Christian Dior spent his childhood, but the house became one of the first victims of the ruin of the family. The villa was bought by the city administration, and the garden turned into a public park. Only in 1997, the Dior Museum was opened in the house: today the interiors of the Dior family are restored there, some of the designer’s personal items are presented, and retrospective exhibitions of the brand are constantly held.

Every time we say the name Christian Dior, we mean the style, sophistication and luxury of everything that this legendary brand with more than half a century of history produces - clothes, perfumes, cosmetics.

Even as a child, a gypsy woman predicted his fate to the future great couturier. She said that in the future he would be left without a livelihood, but women would bring him good luck, it was thanks to them that he would succeed and become wealthy man. Then 14-year-old Christian just laughed at these words.

The skeptical teenager did not particularly believe in predictions, besides, his father was a wealthy entrepreneur, and Christian could not imagine what it would be like to be completely without money. The boy's parents hoped that he would pursue a diplomatic career, ignoring his desire to become an artist. Christian had to go to the Paris School of Political Science.

But the political sciences failed to discourage him from the desire to engage in art. Dior and a friend open an art gallery and sell antiques. Christian rotated in the Parisian bohemia, and it seemed that his carefree existence would never end. But everything changed overnight. In 1931, Christian lost his mother. The father was deceived by a partner and went bankrupt as a result. The art gallery also closed, Christian survived only with the help of true friends.

Lack of money forced Christian Dior to return to his childhood hobby - drawing. He sketched several sketches of dresses and hats that the Le Figaro newspaper bought. After receiving the first fee, it occurred to Dior that his children's hobby can really make money. He begins to collaborate with various magazines, creating clothing models for famous couturiers.

But true success awaited him after the end of the war. The textile tycoon offered Dior a position as artistic director of his couture house to raise him from the ruins he had fallen into during World War II. Christian agreed, but put forward a bold condition, which, however, was accepted - the fashion house received the name "House of Christian Dior". Dior from the very beginning knew the value of himself and his talent.

In the cold post-war winter of 1947, in Paris, where there was not enough elementary coal and gasoline, there were constant problems with clean water and electricity, Christian Dior's "New Look" collection premiered. Wonderful exotic flowers bloomed on the podium, fashion models in chic dresses came out one after another. The spectators sat motionless, admiring this celebration of life in post-war gray Paris. Christian Dior again reminded them that they are beautiful, gentle, feminine.

The success of the show was incredible. Dior said that he painted women who looked like flowers. That was exactly what was missing beautiful half humanity at that time. Dior became an idol who returned beauty and femininity. So the prophecy of the gypsy came true - women contributed to the success of Christian Dior. The fashion designer remembered her words, and became very superstitious, realizing that the prophecies come true. Now he did not take a single step without the advice of his personal soothsayer, Madame Delahaye.

A few years later, the Christian Dior Fashion House grew into a network of enterprises employing more than 2,000 people. Dior recognized only manual work, therefore, in his workshops, each item of clothing was created by the careful work of the workers of the Fashion House. Dior did not want to turn his enterprise into another production that stamped works of art in mass quantities, because such an approach deprived the latter of the actual opportunity to be called works of art. The great couturier treated dresses like living beings.

Having earned the fame of an extravagant couturier, Christian Dior opens a perfumery company. He was firmly convinced that the perfume is a continuation of the dress, an indispensable attribute of the finished toilet. The very first perfumes from Dior - Miss Dior, Diorama, Diorissimo, J "adore - have become enduring classics and are still popular to this day.

In the perfume composition of the Diorissimo perfume, released in 1956, the main note belongs to the lily of the valley, the talisman of the House of Dior. These perfumes were the first to contain notes of this flower.

The next step was the opening of a branch of the House of Dior, engaged in the production of cosmetics, which was also intended to become part of the complete image of a stylish woman.

Since 1955 Dior started release of lipstick, since 1961 began to produce nail polish, and since 1969 Christian Dior has been producing cosmetics in series. The Dior brand has always set itself the goal of finding harmonious combination colors for all products included in one series. And here Dior could not retreat from its artistic taste. When creating new colors, Dior never repeats itself. A new color scheme is chosen each time, but within it, all colors blend perfectly and support each other.

The couturier worked tirelessly, and this affected his health. When he was going to undergo a course of treatment in Italy, he consulted with a personal soothsayer, but even after receiving a warning, for the first time he did not heed her advice. On October 24, 1957, Christian Dior died of a heart attack while in Italy.

After Dior's death, Yves Saint Laurent, a young designer who had joined the firm four years earlier, became the house's lead fashion designer. In 1960, Yves Saint Laurent was called up for military service, which forced him to leave his post. He was replaced by Marc Boan, followed in 1989 by Gianfranco Ferre. In October 1996, John Galliano took the place of the chief fashion designer of the House of Christian Dior.

To date, Dior brand stores can be found in 43 countries, including Japan, China, Australia, Brazil and other countries.

When the couturier was still in his youth, the gypsy predicted his future. She said that at one point he would be left without money, but women would bring him success and help him become a rich man. Christian was then only 14 years old and he just laughed when he heard this story.

The teenager was suspicious of all sorts of predictions and had no idea what it was like to be left without funds, because his father was a famous businessman. Parents sent Christian to a diplomatic career, but did not pay attention to his desire to become an artist. And so, the teenager was sent to the School of Political Science in Paris.

But political career he did not work out, and the desire to devote himself to art was stronger. Christian and his friend decided to sell antiques and open an art gallery. Dior got into the Parisian bohemia and did not think that this could come to an end. But in one moment everything changed. In 1931, Christian was left without a mother. The father was deceived by a partner and he went bankrupt. art gallery closed, and Dior had to survive only with the help of friends.

The catastrophic lack of money made Dior remember his childhood hobby, namely drawing. For the Le Figaro newspaper, he drew a series of sketches for hats and dresses. Christian received the first fee and realized that this was a hobby and would bring him money. So he began cooperation with several magazines, was engaged in the creation of clothes for different couturiers.

The history of the brand began after the end of the war. A textile tycoon proposed to Dior that he be artistic director of his fashion house, to get him back on his feet after World War II. Christian agreed, but he always knew the value of his talent, so he made a condition that the fashion house should be called "The House of Christian Dior". The condition was accepted, and Dior set to work.

In 1947 in Paris, where in the winter after the war there were constant problems with coal, gasoline, electricity and clean water, Christian Dior showed his first collection, which he called "New Look". The girls on the podium were presented as the most beautiful exotic flowers, came out in the most chic dresses. Spectators were fascinated and admiringly watching this holiday among post-war Paris. Christian Dior gave them anew to understand that women are gentle and beautiful.

The first show was an incredible success. The couturier said that he wanted to show the similarity of women with flowers. In that post-war period, this turned out to be just what was so lacking. female half. So Dior began to be perceived as an idol who returned femininity and tenderness. So the gypsy's prediction came true - it was women who brought success. Dior remembered these words, realized that the prophecies were coming true. Now the fashion designer has become so superstitious that he has his own personal fortune teller - Madame Delahaye. Without her prompting, Dior did not make a single decision.

In a few years, the Christian Dior Fashion House has become a huge network of enterprises, with 2000 people working there. Dior did not recognize any work other than handmade. Absolutely all clothing had to be accompanied by painstaking work. The fashion designer did not want the Fashion House to become an enterprise that produces an unlimited number of works of art, because otherwise they would not be able to be called that way. Couturier treated dresses like living beings.

Over time, Christian Dior became famous for his extravagance and decided to open a perfume company. After all, perfume is a continuation of the outfit and completely completes the image, Dior was sure of this. This is how the first perfumes under the brand name Dior appeared - Diorissimo, Diorama, J "adore, Miss Dior. They are still incredibly popular and are considered classics.

In 1956, Diorissimo perfume was released, in which the main focus is the mascot of the House of Dior - lily of the valley. These were the first perfumes to feature this fragrance.

Dior did not stop there and decided to open another branch of the House of Dior, which would produce cosmetics. After all, the couturier understood that cosmetics would find their application in a woman's toilet.

In 1955, Dior released lipstick, in 1961 - nail polish, and in 1969 the production of cosmetics in series began. The brand has always tried to find the right combination colors for the entire series. Dior never repeated itself when creating new colors, each time new colors were chosen, but they all harmoniously combined with each other.

The fashion designer worked from morning to night, and this could not but affect his health. For the first time, he did not listen to his fortune teller and went to Italy for treatment. On October 24, 1957, Christian Dior died of a heart attack in Italy.

After his death, Yves Saint Laurent became the main fashion designer of the house. By that time, he was still a young fashion designer who had worked for the company for four years. In 1960, he was called up for military service, and was replaced by Mark Boan, who was replaced in 1989 by Gianfranco Ferre. And in 1996, John Galliano became the chief fashion designer at the House of Christian Dior.

Currently, the Dior brand is distributed in 43 countries, and stores of this brand can be found even in Japan, Australia, Brazil, China and other countries of the world.