Dior’s dream has always been global. It might be quintessentially French, totally Parisian, but the brand — and the different designers that have led Dior — always paid homage to the cultural richness of the various places the house has explored and anchored itself in. One of them being Japan. In 1953, Christian Dior himself — the one and only — designed a dress called Japanese Garden. The sitting room of his house in Normandy was decorated with the drawings of the famous Japanese artist Hokusai. Throughout his life Christian Dior fantasized about Japan, but his fear of flying stopped him from reaching the land of the rising sun.
This year, with Maria Grazia Chiuiri at its head, Dior exported its vision of fashion to Tokyo, where it presented its new haute couture collection. But, in order to get even closer to the reality and modernity of the country, Maria also decided to design an entire ready-to-wear collection with a different idea in mind: youth and Dior’s commercial echo.
In this collection, Christian Dior’s fantasy meets reality. Jeans, leather jackets, and knits flirt with traditional Japanese prints and flowers. A duality of character, like the fusion of two different universes, underscored Maria’s vision of Japanese femininity. “This country is so close to tradition, but at the same time it’s so modern,” she reflected before adding about Harajuku girls: “It’s like the UK — on one side you have the queen and on the other you have punk. Here it’s the same — a strong tradition, but a very modern attitude. That’s what I like.”
Maria Grazia Chiuiri achieved Christian Dior’s reveries through designing a wardrobe for a global youth, open to differences as well as heritage.
Credits
Text Tess Lochanski
Photography Jun Yasui