Completed article: History of Dior_Revisions
Dior History
Dior is famous not only for its fashion, but also for its perfumes and cosmetics. The founder, Christian Dior, died 12 years after the brand was founded. Why is it that the brand has not lost its momentum and still boasts strong popularity even after his death?
In this article, I would like to explain the history of Dior, from its founding to the present day.
Establishment
Christian Dior was born in 1905 to a wealthy family. He attended the Institut d’Etudes Politiques in Paris under the influence of his father, but he had a strong interest in art. He opened a small gallery, and his artistic abilities were rewarded when he began working as an assistant for a famous couturier.
In 1946, with the support of Marcel Boussac, he opened his own store in Paris. The following year, he presented his first collection. This collection drew attention as the “New Look”. Its popularity was such that a major movement called the “New Look Revolution” took place.
The New Look Revolution
The “New Look” is characterized by a narrow waist reminiscent of the number “8” and a loose flared skirt. It was an elegant fashion that used luxurious fabrics, and the designs were reputed to be more “feminine” than before the war.
Dior’s items were popular among women who wanted to be extravagant after the war.
On the other hand, there were many criticisms.
At the time, France was in a state just after the war. Some people were wealthy enough to pay attention to fashion, while others lived day to day.
“Some people could afford to pay attention to fashion, while others were living day to day.
The French media also published critical articles.
The French media also wrote critical articles and attacked Dior. There were also protests with placards and ripping up the clothes of women wearing the new look.
The situation was also divided in the distant United States. There were those who claimed that long skirts were “blasphemous to patriotism. However, when the New Look style was worn in Hollywood, the criticism came to an end.
In France, the criticism also decreased as the shortage of goods was resolved. This was the moment when Dior’s style was accepted.
Evolving Collection
Dior, which made a strong impact upon its debut, rose to become a major brand in Paris.
Every time Dior presented a collection, it made a splash.
“This was because Dior adopted a strategy that was unthinkable at the time: to make major changes to each collection. This was the conventional wisdom. This was the conventional wisdom.
Dior started to describe the mood of the collection in one word. There are different concepts, such as “Tulip,” “Flight,” and “Free.” Sometimes it was a more extreme version of a previous design, sometimes it was a completely new design, and people paid attention to the trends.
Setting a theme for the collection became a common practice for the brand in the future.
Christian Dior’s death and the decline of the brand
Between 1947 and 1957, Dior overturned the conventional wisdom of the fashion world by presenting various collections. He blew a new wind into the industry and continued to create new styles without giving in to criticism.
He was called the “General Motors of the fashion world” and reigned as the king of the industry!
However, Dior died in 1958.
However, Dior died in 1958, and as if he knew he was dying, he focused on training his successors. He entrusted important jobs to Yves Saint-Laurent and Marc Boant.
After Dior’s death, the business was taken over by the 21-year-old Yves Saint Laurent, who launched his first collection, the Trapeze line, in 1958 and lived up to the expectations of those around him. In 1958, he launched his first collection, “Trapeze Line,” which met the expectations of everyone, and attracted enough attention to make newspaper headlines, including a British marchioness among his customers.
However, in 1960, he was drafted into the army and had to leave Dior. However, in 1960, he was drafted into the army and left Dior. It is said that the owner at the time had a hand in this behind the scenes.
The man who took over after Saint Laurent was Marc Boan. He worked as a designer for Dior for 30 years. However, it was difficult to keep up with the new and original fashion, and the brand began to decline in popularity.
The bankruptcy of Marcel, his sponsor, was the decisive factor. It was Bernard Arnault, the man who took over the LVMH group and is considered to be the head of the brand company, who saved Dior from the brink of extinction.
The rebirth of Dior and the success of its designers
The designer appointed by Arnault was Gian Franco Ferré. He was famous as one of the top three designers in Italy along with Armani and Versace.
He was popular for his designs that included a modern touch while keeping Dior’s tradition alive.
John Galliano became the designer in 1996. He is a talented man and started his own brand after graduating first in his class from the university’s mode department. He started his own brand after graduating top of his class in mode at university.
His collections are original and genius. His collections are original and genius, and he has made a splash with designs that break with the Dior tradition.
John’s designs were so new that they were featured on the covers of fashion magazines.
However, he was arrested for bad behavior and fired from Dior.
Raf Simons took over as designer and his collection, which he prepared in a short period of eight weeks, was a huge success. However, he stepped down in 2015 to focus on his own brand.
The designer position that had been vacant for some time was taken by Maria Grazia Chiuri. Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first female designer at Dior, made her debut with the Spring/Summer 2017 collection. The theme was “fencing”. Her style was established by adding feminine elements to sporty designs.
The theme for the Fall/Winter 2021 collection is “Fairy Tale World”. You can feel the fantastic atmosphere from each item.
The impression of the brand changes drastically with the change of designers. Whether the brand grows or declines depends on the designer, and it will be interesting to see which way it turns in the future.
Dior as a businessman
Dior is not only a designer, but also a businessman.
Eight months after creating the brand, he launched a perfume division, and later expanded the business one after another to include furs and hats.
To enter the American market, a branch office was established in New York. In order to sell ready-to-wear products, the clothes were modified to withstand machine production.
He was also good at dealing with the media. He showed up at collections and was actively involved with the media. His strategy was a great success as he was frequently featured in the media. His business sense, which included the idea of selling fashion, led to the expansion of his brand.
Activities in Japan
In the 1950s, he held a fashion show in Tokyo with 12 people, including models. Incidentally, Dior was the first European high brand to hold a show in Japan.
In 1964, Kanebo signed a license agreement to exclusively manufacture and sell the brand; the license agreement was terminated in 1997, and since then the company has been selling imported products.
In 2003, the company opened a store in Omotesando. In 2003, a store opened in Omotesando, and in 2017, the House of Dior Ginza opened in GINZA SIX. The fourth floor has a café and is one of the most prominent Dior stores in Japan.
Summary
Dior has grown to become a central brand in Paris with its feminine and luxurious fashion. Each collection has its own theme and is characterized by a style that destroys existing designs. It successfully overturned the values held by conventional brands.
After Christian Dior’s death, the atmosphere of the brand has changed with each new designer, but the “fusion of tradition and modernity” has never wavered.
However, the “fusion of tradition and modernity” has never wavered, and the brand is sure to surprise us with new items that make use of the designer’s originality.