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Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri: Empowering Women On and Off the Runway
Since its inception in 1947, the Christian Dior brand has flourished as one of the world’s most famous and highly-regarded fashion houses. The Haute Couture Label revolutionized the meaning of elegant style, pairing classism and modernity to create striking yet feminine designs. Maria Grazia Chiuri has continued that legacy, adding her own feminist flair to the brand’s iconic collections.
For more than half a century in the world of couture, the fashion company has proved transformative; pioneering a chic, timeless look that continues to entrance us. As the first-ever female artistic director in Dior’s seven decades of male leadership, Maria has helped bring the fashion house into the 21st century.
The former Valentino co-creative director has made an incredible impact on the fashion house, using the runway as a platform to spread messages of women empowerment, feminism, and the arts.
I love flowers. I have flowers everywhere at home. I can make a beautiful dress with flowers. But women are not as simple as flowers. Women are much more.
Maria Grazia Chiuri’s Story
Born in Italy in 1964, Maria spent much of her childhood around the dinner table discussing women’s rights, specifically the right to choose and the right to divorce. Equality was the norm in her family; her mother worked as a seamstress and was a firm believer in equal opportunity, raising her daughter to love herself, empower women, and strive for equality in a world predominantly led by men.
The 53-year-old artistic director began her career at Fendi in 1989, where she and her design partner Pierpaolo Piccioli launched the Baguette, vastly regarded as the world’s first It Bag. Later, at Valentino, Maria Grazia Chiuri was the creative force behind the Rockstud bag and shoes that drove the luxury brand towards imminent success. Now, Maria continues to flourish at Dior.
Her Style
Maria Grazia Chiuri’s efforts are inspiring, and since taking on the prestigious role in 2016 she has built her vision of the present-day Dior woman. A modern woman who may still don ball gowns and stilettos on occasional evenings, but takes on the world in long-sleeved shirts, boyfriend jeans, and a pair of easy walking flats, flaunting a cross-body bag slung across one shoulder.
We have to work in a way that makes it possible to dress everybody, I want to create collections that are wearable by different women—with different cultures, bodies, and nationalities—but still with the Dior aesthetic. As a luxury brand, we have to offer our style—with our point of view, values, craftsmanship, creativity—but in a way that is wearable by all kinds of different women with different styles of life.
Noteworthy Seasons & Styles
Autumn/Winter 2020-2021
Never one to shy away from challenging female representation, Maria used this collection to explore alternative expressions of femininity. Inspired by surrealism, this season drew on mysterious and magical elements to bring a sort of dark fantasy feel to the stage. Maria was influenced by artists such as Lee Miller, Dora Maar, and Jacqueline Lamba, and the collection boasts nature as her main muse.
At the center of this collection is the presentation; each piece was carefully crafted to be worn by a fashion doll. The miniature mannequins toured in a “magic trunk,” echoing practices of the Théâtre de la Mode after the Second World War, and displaying exceptional skill in the execution of such small, detailed garments.
Spring/Summer 2022
This monotone collection dazzled spectators at Paris Fashion Week not for the variety of colors, but for the command of texture and shape. The collection highlighted embroidery and other three-dimensional elements of the garments. A testament and celebration of craftsmanship, as well as a show of superior savior-faire, the collection intended to blur the lines between fine art and haute couture.
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70 Years of Christian Dior at Musée des Arts Décoratifs
Spring/Summer 2023
This iteration of Dior’s haute couture show was heavily inspired by Joséphine Baker, an African-American performer who moved from the US to Paris in the 1920s. It draws from her aesthetics as a performer, an artist, and a glamorous woman of the time, but also her subversion of prejudices and stereotypes. She was a fierce advocate for civil rights and a member of the French Resistance.
Maria partnered with esteemed African-American artist Mickalene Thomas to bring this collection to life.
Channeling Joséphine’s energy and empowerment, the pieces are both intense and feminine, powerful and intimate. The cabaret influences are apparent but elevated with elegant details and distinguished with more masculine tailoring.
Autumn/Winter 2023/2024 with Joana Vasconcelos
This collection, inspired by French styles of the 1950s, took the stage beneath a large-scale woven installation by renowned Paris-born Portuguese artist Joana Vasconcelos. Three spectacular women influenced the collection: Catherine Dior, Édith Piaf, and Juliette Gréco.
These women were each uniquely influential, subverting feminine stereotypes and displaying independent determination in post-war France. The intricate and all-encompassing stage dressing included floral motifs, a much-loved and utilized symbol by Maria, and a nod to the flowers grown and sold by Catherine Dior to inspire hope after the war. The colors of the French flag are also featured in the artwork, which was woven from archive Dior fabrics.
It’s a testament to the marvelous things possible when art and couture combine, and visionary women collaborate and celebrate each other. You can read more about Joana Vasconcelos’s impressive career and multimedia arts here.
Miss Dior
Recently, Maria was behind yet another headline-grabbing first for Dior. Inspired by the name of the label’s early ready-to-wear collection, Dior’s Autumn/Winter 2024 runway saw graphic print logos on their couture for the first time. And this is not just a first for Dior, but for any fashion house of its size and influence.
The large, modern logos marked a departure from the brand’s traditional aesthetics, appearing in both thin-lined print and large, asymmetrical lettering across jackets, purses, and skirts.
This evolution of expectations echoes and pays homage to the changes of the past when the “Miss Dior” collection was first released in 1967. It was a time of change for women in society; a breaking of barriers and a challenging of tradition. Maria recalls that shift now with her mold-breaking, trend-challenging looks.
Empowering Women Abroad
Project for Empty Space, a female-focussed, woman-run collective that celebrates radical creativity, will host their annual Badass Art Woman Awards in April 2024. Maria Grazia Chiuri and Karishma Swali are being recognized as part of the Dynamic Duos theme.
The two women have created an alliance and mentorship relationship between Dior and the Chanakya School of Craft in India, helping to develop skills and preserve crafts in India. More than a thousand women have benefitted from this partnership, participating in programs that promote community engagement and have led to collaborations with artists such as Judy Chicago, Eva Jospin, and more!
The Future
Her vision encompasses the modern woman’s desire to dress it up or dress it down, creating trendy ensembles that complement the lifestyle of a contemporary woman. For Maria Grazia Chiuri, the idea that each woman is unique, special, and different is both personal and political. More often than not, the fashion industry tends to appeal to a single, stick-thin body type. Maria is doing away with that mold, creating pieces that are empowering for every woman.
Her dedication to women’s causes, commitment to craft, and eye on the changing social landscape make her an important figure to continue to watch in the world of haute couture.
Words by Jordan Daniel & Bridget Kitson
