Dior Documentary Fashion Film The History Magic and Shades of Dior Haute Couture
Category
😹
FunTranscript
00:00 Dior is one of the most talked brands in the fashion industry.
00:13 Showering its magic since 1947, the brand was founded by designer Christian Dior.
00:20 The French fashion house is famous for its elegance and timeless femininity.
00:26 A leading company that has remained at the top of fashion's hierarchy for over 70 years,
00:32 Dior's unique look has influenced the world of fashion since the very beginning.
00:39 Innovative but traditional, Dior maintains its reputation as creator of recognized haute
00:45 couture.
00:46 From their ready-to-wear fashion, leather goods, accessories or footwear, Dior changed
00:52 the game forever.
00:54 To this day, the brand is all around us in some way, shape or form, even if we don't
00:59 know it.
01:00 Christian Dior established the fashion house in December 1946 at 30 Avenue Montaigne in
01:07 Paris.
01:08 Dior's first collection was launched on February 12th for Spring/Summer 1947 at the
01:14 company's headquarters.
01:17 An instant success, Harper Bazaar's editor-in-chief, Carmel Snow, strongly believed in Dior's
01:23 talent.
01:24 "It's quite a revolution, dear Christian.
01:27 Your dresses have such a new look," she exclaimed.
01:30 Thus, the new look became a trademark.
01:36 Introducing unique silhouettes consisting of shorter, fuller skirts, tighter waists
01:43 and accentuated busts, Dior's pieces were revolutionary, especially in the 40s.
01:50 The brand continued to flourish and by the mid-1950s, the house of Dior was a highly
01:55 respected fashion empire.
01:59 Dior dressed countless celebrities including Marlene Dietrich, Eva Gardner and members
02:05 of the royal family.
02:07 Upon the tragic death of Christian Dior in 1957, 21-year-old Yves Saint Laurent took
02:14 the creative reins of the acclaimed fashion house.
02:17 Saint Laurent kept Christian Dior's legacy alive by using the same fabrics, keeping the
02:23 proportions and silhouettes relatively similar.
02:27 However, Saint Laurent's collections featured pieces that were softer, lighter and easier
02:33 to wear.
02:35 His designs became more daring due to his success at the fashion house until 1960, when
02:41 his bohemian collection was harshly criticized.
02:45 Saint Laurent was called up to join the French army, thus forcing him to leave Maison Dior
02:51 which raised no objection with the Dior management.
02:55 Following the departure of Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan was appointed creative head in
03:00 the late 60s.
03:03 Instilling a more conservative style, he was credited as the man who kept the Dior label
03:09 at the forefront of fashion.
03:11 While still producing wearable elegant clothes and women's wear daily claimed that Bohan
03:17 rescued the firm.
03:21 In 1967, Bohan's assistant Philippe Gaborgi launched the brand's first French ready-to-wear
03:28 collection called Miss Dior.
03:31 In 1989, Italian born Gianfranco Ferre replaced Bohan as head designer.
03:38 As the first non-French designer to take the creative reigns at Dior, Ferre left behind
03:44 the traditional Dior aesthetic.
03:47 With a reputation for feminine romantic silhouettes, Ferre introduced a new style concept described
03:54 as refined, sober and strict.
04:00 As head of Haute Couture, Haute Ferroir, women's ready-to-wear, ready-to-wear furs and women's
04:07 accessories collections, Ferre was awarded the Dédor.
04:12 Commonly known as the golden dice, the Dédor was awarded twice a year in France to Haute
04:17 Couture designers from 1976 to 1990.
04:22 By 1990, Dior boutiques were opened in upscale New York City, Los Angeles and Tokyo shopping
04:30 districts.
04:33 That year, Dior's revenue was $129 million with a net income of $22 million.
04:40 And by 1995, the label's revenue rose to a whopping $177 million with a net income
04:48 of $27 million.
04:52 Also in 1995, Bernadette Chirac, wife of former French president Jacques Chirac, contacted
04:59 Christian Dior, explaining that she wished to gift the Princess of Wales a unique handbag
05:05 upon her visit to Paris.
05:09 The Maison created a structured black bag unofficially named the Chouchou.
05:21 Shortly after, the bag was seen on the arm of the princess during her visit to a children's
05:27 home in Birmingham.
05:29 Described as iconic and legendary, Dior launched the bag in a larger series, and changed the
05:36 name to the Lady Dior in 1996 with Princess Diana's blessing.
05:42 200,000 models were sold in two years, and thus Dior's leather goods turnover massively
05:51 increased.
05:52 The Lady Dior bag features padded Cannage leather inspired by the Napoleon III chairs
05:58 Christian Dior once used to welcome clients on the day of his first show in 1947.
06:06 With a structured silhouette and sturdy top handles, the Lady Dior also features the letters
06:11 D-I-O-R on charm patterns as an eternal signature.
06:19 Each Lady Dior is crafted by hand.
06:22 Commencing with manual cutting out of the leathers, the pieces are then assembled and
06:27 molded around a wooden form.
06:29 Finally, it is meticulously sewn together.
06:32 In total, there are 140 distinct pieces that are necessary in the process of creating a
06:38 Lady Dior, hence the luxurious and sumptuous quality.
06:44 Over the years, several celebrities have been the face of Lady Dior, including Carla Bruni,
06:50 Diana Kruger, Monica Bellucci, and Marion Cotillard.
06:55 To this day, the Lady Dior remains an iconic piece for the brand.
07:01 Under the influence of Anna Wintour, editor-in-chief of Vogue, Dior appointed John Galliano as
07:07 creative director in 1997, replacing Gianfranco Farré.
07:12 The choice of British designer sparked some controversy as once again a non-Frenchman
07:17 held the creative reins.
07:20 However, Galliano was compared to Christian Dior himself by Dior's chairman, Bernard
07:26 Arnault, noting that Galliano has a creative talent very close to that of Dior himself.
07:34 He has the same extraordinary mixture of romanticism, feminism and modernity that symbolize Monsieur
07:40 Dior.
07:41 In all of his creations, his suits, his dresses, one finds similarities to the Dior style.
07:48 Galliano's collections were somewhat controversial, which evoked further interest in the brand,
07:54 including the homeless show that featured models dressed in newspapers and paper bags
07:59 and the S&M show.
08:02 In 1999, Galliano released Dior's Spring/Summer 2000 ready-to-wear collection, which debuted
08:09 the brand's iconic saddlebag.
08:12 So much so that it is considered that Galliano revolutionized Dior more through his provocative
08:18 advertising campaigns than through his actual designs.
08:24 In July 2000, Hedi Slimane succeeded Patrick Lavoie as lead designer for Dior Home.
08:32 Although the menswear line was originally founded in 1970 by Marc Bohan, it was nowhere
08:37 near as successful as the womenswear line, and the boutique was eventually shut down.
08:45 Slimane revamped Dior Home, giving it a modern, masculine aesthetic.
08:50 Soon, the label had gained prominent male clientele when Brad Pitt and Mick Jagger were
08:56 seen wearing it.
08:58 In 2002, Slimane was awarded the International Designer of the Year award by the CFDA.
09:07 Chris Van Asch was appointed the new creative director of Dior Home in 2007 after the departure
09:14 of Hedi Slimane.
09:16 By 2011, chaos struck the house of Dior when several accusations were made against John
09:21 Galliano for making anti-Semitic remarks.
09:26 The label found itself in a public relations nightmare.
09:30 Galliano was naturally fired in March, just before the debut of his Fall/Winter 2011 collection
09:37 which commenced without him.
09:39 Bill Gayton was appointed as the head designer upon the scandalous departure of Galliano,
09:45 despite the remaining absence of the artistic director position.
09:51 Gayton had previously worked under Galliano for both Dior and the John Galliano label.
09:57 His first collection for Dior received mostly negative reviews, however in January, Gayton
10:02 presented his second haute couture collection which was much better received.
10:08 Finally it was announced on April 11, 2012 that Raf Simons was appointed as the new artistic
10:13 director of Dior.
10:17 Acclaimed for his minimalist designs, sharp silhouettes and effortlessly chic aesthetic,
10:23 Simons was an interesting choice as his work greatly contrasted Galliano's eccentric and
10:29 flamboyant style.
10:31 In the hopes of moving forward from the embarrassment Galliano brought to the Dior name, the company
10:36 was more than eager to go in a new direction.
10:41 Slimane familiarized himself with haute couture as the designer had no previous experience
10:46 in this field and spent much time in the Dior archives.
10:51 Hedi Slimane presented his first collection for Dior on July 2, the Fall/Winter 2012 haute
10:57 couture line.
10:59 It simply thrived.
11:02 Named the new couture by the company, Slimane was the breath of fresh air Dior so desperately
11:07 needed.
11:08 His work made more reference to Mr. Dior than to the House of Dior, with pieces inspired
11:14 by Dior's post-World War II designs.
11:18 In 2016, it was announced that Maria Grazia Chiuri would succeed Hedi Slimane as artistic
11:24 director.
11:27 A huge leap for the French fashion house as Maria is the first woman to ever hold the
11:32 position of AD.
11:34 "Of course, heritage is important but I want to move this house further," explained
11:40 Grazia Chiuri when discussing her new position.
11:44 "Dior stands for femininity but the idea of that is still steeped in the fifties.
11:50 Femininity isn't something that finished in the fifties, it can be more contemporary,"
11:55 she continued.
11:56 And so it could.
11:58 Grazia Chiuri transformed Maison Dior by reinventing it to suit the modern day woman.
12:04 Although she stayed true to Dior's roots, she redefined what it means to be feminine.
12:10 By adding a masculine touch, she illustrated that elegance could now go hand in hand with
12:16 edginess.
12:18 Her first collection was for Spring/Summer 2017, a line featuring contrasting fabrics
12:23 that included tulle, lace and velvet, while pieces were embellished with flower motifs
12:29 and ruffles.
12:31 The fairy-esque collection was enchanting and beloved by fashion lovers and critics
12:36 across the globe.
12:40 Maria's Dior has since produced many notable pieces, including the Je Dior handbag line,
12:46 basic tees with "We Should All Be Feminists" prominently printed across it, and a new Dior
12:52 logo.
12:54 Although time continues to progress and changes in the fashion industry are always occurring,
13:00 Dior continues to produce beautiful timeless pieces that remain innovative and very original.
13:08 Truly a brand with a fascinating backstory, Dior remains one of the most prominent and
13:13 important fashion houses of our time.
13:17 Don't forget to check our channel for other interesting videos related to other top brands.
13:22 If you like our videos, don't forget to subscribe and click the bell icon.
13:26 See you next time!
13:27 Bye!
13:27 [music]
13:32 [music]
13:37 [BLANK_AUDIO]