Dior went live across the world this morning with their Fall 2019 show, and in preparation, the brand’s pioneering creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri took time to explain the vision that has dominated her tenure at the luxury fashion house.
In an interview with British Vogue, Chiuri weighed in on her viral Spring 2017 show—which saw $500 T-shirts emblazoned with quotes from activist Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s essays (including ‘We Should All Be Feminists’ and ‘The Future is Female’) sell-out almost instantly. The collection received moderate backlash, with critics claiming Chiuri was intentionally capitalizing on the social justice movement. The designer, however, alleges the shirts were a result of her refusal to settle for fashion that has nothing to say.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty.
“I was very naive when I started working in fashion, it was all about self-expression back then,” she told the outlet. “Now, I see it as my job to deliver a positive message to society. I really believe that we are responsible for the next generation.”
Chiuri is still determined to create a broader conversation surrounding the portrayal of femininity, and insists on lifting up other women in her creative choices (she commissioned women artists from around the world to redesign the Dior Lady bag). Dior’s Fall 2019 show sees Chiuri return to her roots with a new t-shirt printed imbued with another feminist statement—the cover art of American author Robin Morgan’s book Sisterhood Is Global, which tracks and dissects the international women’s movement.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty.
Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty.
“It’s a promotion for the book,” Chiuri explains. “I want Dior to be about collaborating with other women to support one another’s point of view.”
The latest collection did not stray too far Chiuri’s design trajectory—cinched waists reigned, and there were plenty of ankle-grazing skirts to satisfy red carpet stylists for the next six months. However, the incorporation of the ‘Teddy girl’ (the Edwardian-esque aesthetic of post-war London women) will likely spur a renaissance for nonchalant masculinity among the masses. The show notes also revealed that Chiuri specifically paid tribute Karl Lagerfeld—”alchemist of elegance and beauty”—and his legacy. And, for the record, the bucket hat has made a definitive high-fashion return. Alert your skater boyfriend!
Stream the Dior show here.