CHRISTIAN DIOR BIOGRAPHY
CHRISTIAN DIOR WAS BORN ON THE 21ST OF JANUARY 1905 IN GRANVILLE, A COASTAL TOWN IN THE FRENCH REGION OF NORMANDY. HIS WEALTHY, BOURGEOIS FAMILY MOVED TO PARIS WHEN CHRISTIAN WAS FIVE. WHILE HIS PARENTS HAD HOPED HE WOULD PURSUE A DIPLOMATIC CAREER, THE YOUNG MAN DREAMED OF BECOMING AN ARCHITECT. HE NEVERTHELESS ATTENDED SCIENCES PO, WHILE FREQUENTING THE VIBRANT ARTISTIC SOCIETY IN PARIS. IN 1928, HE OPENED A FIRST CONTEMPORARY ART GALLERY WITH FRIENDS, EXHIBITING WORK BY BRAQUE, FERNAND LÉGER, UTRILLO, MAILLOL, DUFY, AND FRIENDS SUCH AS MAX JACOB, LÉONOR FINI, SALVADOR DALI OR CHRISTIAN BÉRARD.
IN 1931, THE DIOR FAMILY WAS RUINED FINANCIALLY BY THE EFFECTS OF THE WALL STREET CRASH, ALONG WITH CHRISTIAN DIOR’S PARTNER IN THE GALLERY. THE FOLLOWING YEARS WERE DIFFICULT, DOGGED BY ILLNESS AND FINANCIAL PROBLEMS. A TALENTED ARTIST IN HIS OWN RIGHT, DIOR REINVENTED HIMSELF AS A FASHION ILLUSTRATOR, SELLING HIS SKETCHES TO FASHION HOUSES AND PUBLICATIONS SUCH AS LE FIGARO. HE THEN JOINED ROBERT PIGUET’S HOUSE AS A “MODÉLISTE” IN 1938, MOVING TO LUCIEN LELONG IN 1941. A MEETING WITH TEXTILE MAGNATE MARCEL BOUSSAC IN 1946 BROUGHT ABOUT THE CREATION OF HIS OWN COUTURE HOUSE. CHRISTIAN DIOR OPENED HIS DOORS AT NUMBER 30 AVENUE MONTAIGNE, WHICH REMAINS THE HOUSE HEADQUARTERS TO THE PRESENT DAY.
PRESENTED IN A DREARY POST-WAR ATMOSPHERE ON THE 12TH OF FEBRUARY 1947, CHRISTIAN DIOR’S FIRST COLLECTION HAD THE EFFECT OF A FASHION REVOLUTION, RAPIDLY RENAMED “NEW LOOK”. INDEED, THIS NEW SILHOUETTE WITH FLOWING SKIRTS AND CINCHED WAISTS TURNED THE ERA’S CODES OF FASHION AND FEMININITY UPSIDE DOWN. THE INTERNATIONAL PRESS MADE DIOR A WORLD-FAMOUS NAME IN THE SPACE OF A FEW DAYS. THE DESIGNER IMMEDIATELY EXPANDED HIS HOUSE BY LAUNCHING PERFUMES AND ACCESSORIES, WHILE ALSO MOVING INTO THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET, STARTING WITH THE USA AS EARLY AS 1948.
CHRISTIAN DIOR’S PREMATURE DEATH IN 1957 OCCURRED WHEN THE DESIGNER WAS STILL THE MOST CELEBRATED COUTURIER OF HIS TIME, DRESSING SUCH CLIENTS AS MARLÈNE DIETRICH, RITA HAYWORTH, AVA GARDNER, EVA PERON OR THE DUCHESSE OF WINDSOR. HIS AVANT-GARDE VISION AND SENSE OF ELEGANCE LIVE ON THROUGH THE HOUSE OF DIOR, WHICH REMAINS A LEADER IN THE WORLD OF FASHION.