The History of Christian Dior

The history of Christian Dior

Christian Dior was a French fashion designer who founded the luxury fashion house we all know, Christian Dior (shocker). He was born on January 21, 1905, in Granville, a seaside town in Normandy, France. Dior was one of five children born to a wealthy fertilizer manufacturer and his wife.

Dior had a love for art and initially pursued a career as an art dealer. However, he eventually decided to pursue his passion for fashion and began working for the fashion designer Robert Piguet in 1938. During World War II, Dior served in the French army and was taken prisoner by the Germans. After his release in 1941, he returned to Paris and began designing for the fashion house of Lucien Lelong.

The start of Christian Dior

In 1946, Dior opened his own fashion house with the financial backing of Marcel Boussac, a textile magnate. Dior’s first collection, presented in February 1947, revolutionized fashion with its feminine, curvaceous silhouette, dubbed the “New Look”. The collection featured full skirts, nipped-in waists, and rounded shoulders, which marked a departure from the boxy, masculine styles that had been popular during the war.

The New Look was an immediate success and helped to reestablish Paris as the fashion capital of the world after the war. Dior continued to innovate with his designs, introducing new fabrics, such as Lurex and Orlon, and experimenting with new shapes, such as the A-line skirt.

The famous Dior fragrances

In addition to fashion, Dior also launched a line of fragrances. His first fragrance, Miss Dior, was released in 1947 and remains popular to this day. Other notable fragrances from the House of Dior include J’adore, Poison, and Homme.

Dior’s talented designers

Tragically, Dior’s career was cut short when he died of a heart attack in 1957, at the age of 52. However, his legacy lived on through his eponymous fashion house, which continues to be a major force in the fashion industry today. Over the years, the House of Dior has been led by a number of talented designers, including Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri.

The Dior oblique canvas

The Dior Oblique canvas is an iconic motif that is associated with the House of Dior. It was first introduced by Christian Dior himself in 1950, as a tribute to the Napoleonic era, which he admired for its grandeur and opulence.

The Dior Oblique canvas is a jacquard fabric that features the iconic interlocking “CD” monogram. The pattern is created by weaving the yarns together in a way that produces a raised effect on the surface of the fabric.