Known throughout the world as the father of the new look, Christian Dior (France, 1905- Italy, 1957) was able to change the rigid wardrobe of women from the 1940s for garments that highlighted the female figure, thus creating a song to the optimism that the era so badly needed.
Dior was born in Grandville into a family of the French bourgeoisie. Although his passion had always been fashion, the designer began his studies as a diplomat at the École des Sciences Politiques in Paris, but later dropped out to study music and ended up working in an art gallery. In 1931, his mother died and the family business declared bankruptcy, so the couturier had to live for a while on the hospitality of his friends while he sold sketches of his designs to newspapers. and magazines.
His first steps in the world of fashion were taken by the great Parisian designer of the time, Robert Piguet, for whom he designed sketches. In 1946, thanks to the help of Marcel Boussac, better known as The King of Cotton, he opened his first fashion house in Paris. In 1967 he launched his first collection, which he named Corolle, and from that moment the Frenchman’s success spread like wildfire. The designer expanded the business into the jewelry and perfume sector, and in 20 years, he had expanded his brand to 15 countries, with more than 2,000 employees.
Christian Dior.
When the world was plunged into the economic and moral crisis left behind by the Second World War, Dior knew how to act with skill and, standing up to the gray and sad suits that were the stars of the wardrobes of that time, the designer opted for opulence, the glamor and luxury, for costumes that returned the joy lost in the fight. In this way, their flared and voluminous ‘midi’ skirts with tulle linings, tight and rigid bodices that enhanced the feminine torso, rounded shoulders, wasp waists, lopsided hats, jewels and high heels began to become popular. needle. A commitment to femininity that caused a furore among European and American women.
This trend made the French designer a key player in understanding the fashion that would precede him, since already in the 50s, with a notable economic recovery, fashion -and many other sectors- experienced a golden age of waste and consumerism.
The designer died at the age of 52 from a heart attack. But the house, already consolidated worldwide by then, has continued to work with designers such as Yves Saint-Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano and Maria Grazia Chiuri, the firm’s current designer and the first woman in charge of the French house.
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