History of Dior

Dior is a fashion brand built on feminine beauty with timeless and classic ideals. Their business goal is to “Leave a legacy of beauty and be fully committed,” as said on their site. Dior was founded on December 16, 1946, in Avenue Montaigne, Paris, France by French designer Christian Dior. As a boy, Christian Dior was very passionate about art and wanted to pursue a career that fulfilled his interests. He didn’t break into the fashion industry immediately but inevitably he ended up there. Over time Dior has evolved into more feminist, daring, and bold looks than when it first started. Dior is now known for their elegance and timeless feminity, and their products range from clothing and cosmetics to spirits and wines. Let’s take a deeper look into how Christian Dior started this multinational luxury fashion house.

Dior ran a fashion gallery in Paris before his start in the fashion industry. During the Great Depression, he was forced to close down his gallery and worked under the fashion designer Robert Piguet. He later worked under Lucien Lelong, helping him with his design ideas. Dior grew tired of working under others and wanted his work to be showcased which lead him to open his own fashion house in 1946. He named his first fashion line “New Look”. The show was meant to portray the end of World War II. The line was a combination of cinched waists, big skirts with layers, and rounded shoulders. The pieces were very luxurious and every piece had about 20 yards of fabric. They were very revolutionary for their time. The fashion line was adorned and desired by everyone. All women wanted to get a piece from the “New Look” line. With the brand new found popularity, it was not a surprise to anyone that the Dior brand grew quickly.

After that Dior expanded their business. The brand became global. With the newly expanded locations, Dior also expanded their collections. Dior incorporated his first fragrance into his brand named “Miss Dior” which was named after his sister. After the success of his perfume, he also realized that to continue the brand’s success he should expand the collection to hold all the feminine wants and needs such as shoes, coats, hats, and every other piece that completed the fashion vision of that time. The Dior brand continues to expand as they dressed countless celebrities and fashion icons of that time. Many other talented and inspiring names were added to the Dior brand over time such as Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferre, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri who was the first women female artistic director and still is to this day.

Here are some of Dior’s most iconic looks.

**Rihanna wearing custom Dior Couture at Cannes Film Festival, 2017**

Sources

ANNA WETZEL

Writer at The City Voice

Hi, my name is Anna Wetzel and I am a sophomore at City this School year. I love to sing and I am in choir this year! I enjoy makeup, reading, fashion, photography, and writing. I also really enjoy nature and hiking. If you see me around, don't be scared to say hi.