“If Dior is about femininity, then it is about women,” Maria Grazia Chiuri explained to the Guardian‘s Jess Cartner-Morley in a recent interview. “And not about what it was to be a woman 50 years ago, but to be a woman today.” Since taking over last September, the former Valentino creative director has updated Christian Dior’s own examination of female archetypes and expectations for 2017. Although the message was more subtle than her first Dior collection — the We Should All Be Feminists slogan T-shirts were on-sale rather than on-the-catwalk — her second ready-to-wear collection underlined her commitment to ensuring the house reflects the diversity, beauty and power of global femininity.
From her catwalks queens to her preference for Brigitte Lacombe’s gaze, Maria Grazia Chiuri appears wholeheartedly dedicated to championing female talents. After turning to the Bell twins for her debut campaign, Maria Grazia Chiuri cast i-D cover star Ruth alongside a selection of the finest, fiercest and most fabulous from fashion’s sisterhood. Fellow i-D cover stars Adwoa Aboah, Fernanda Ly, Selena Forrest stand alongside Ellen Rosa, Aira Ferreira, Jing Wen and Camille Hurel, to complete a diverse cast that praises contemporary girl power and proves the future is female.
“Each possesses a unique personality and together they compose an image of a bold and daring Dior woman,” the press release explains. “Being both united and staunchly individual, they ideally reflect the blue of the creations, a colour rich in symbolism and meanings, which plays on the contrasts between the workwear spirit of denim fabrics and the nobility of royal blue velvet.” Blue is the warmest colour.
Credits
Text Steve Salter