Christian Dior
From The Fashion Dictionary
Christian Dior was one of the world's most noted Haute Couture fashion designers. He was born on January 21st, 1905, in Normandy France. Dior was and still is one of the most influential French fashion designers and was known for being the founder of one of the world's top fashion houses.
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Christian Dior's Early Life
At his parents' request, Dior attended the Ecole des Sciences Politiques (political science) from 1920 to 1925. He then went on to serve the military and after several years of indecision and confusion, returned to Paris in 1935 to pursue his dream of being an artist. His family's fortune derived from the manufacturing of fertilizer, and they had hoped he would become a diplomat, but alas Dior wanted nothing more than to be involved in the arts, mainly fashion and sketching. [1]
When he returned to Paris, Dior sold his sketches on the streets for about 10 cents a pop. Although Dior loved sketching dresses, he received attention for his hat sketches mostly. He also received money from his father so that he could open a small art gallery where he sold art by the likes of Picasso and Max Jacob. Unfortunately for Dior, a financial crisis occurred and he was forced to close shop.
In 1938 Dior was hired by fashion designer Robert Piguet after which he moved on to the fashion house where he and Pierre Balmain were the main designers. During World War II, Dior dressed the wives of the Nazi officers as well as the French collaborators. After he returned to Paris in 1941, he worked for Lucien Lelong, which was a much larger design house. He didn't waste too much time there as he opened up his own fashion house in 1945 with the help of textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac.
Dior's First Collection
After opening up his own fashion house with Marcel Boussac, Dior came out with his very first collection in 1947 simply called "New Look". The original name of the line was actually called Corolle which is translated roughly into petal in French. The line "New Look" was actually coined by Carmel Snow, who was the editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar. "New Look" featured new and exciting designs that hadn't been seen before. The collection consisted of rounded shoulders, a cinched waist, and a very full skirt, hence the term a-line which was created by Dior himself. Dior is quoted as saying "I have designed flower women." His main goal for "New Look" was to create beautiful, feminine inspired looks that would uplift the otherwise depressing times of World War II.
When the war ended, Christian Dior helped Paris re-establish itself as the fashion capital of the world. Along with his partner Jacques Rouet, Dior was the pioneer for license agreements in the fashion industry. The Dior empire expended with new designs for furs, socks, ties, perfumes, and clothing in regionally separate production centers.In 1953, Dior hired Yves Saint Laurent as an assistant to the company.
The Death of a Designer
Sadly, Christian Dior died on October 24th, 1957 at a health spa in Montecatini, Italy. Dior died of a heart attack, but the cause of the attack is still unknown. Some sources say that he died of a heart attack after chocking on a fish bone, while other sources, such as Time Magazine, say that Dior died of a heart attack after playing a game of cards. Another rumor is that his heart attack was caused after a strenuous sexual encounter.
The Dior Empire Expands
Although Christian Dior died, his empire was not forgotten. His assistant, Yves Saint Laurent, took over as the head designer and introduced the trapeze dress in his first collection. When Saint Laurent was called for military duty in 1960, designer Marc Bohan took over the house and remained there until 1989, when designer Gianfranco Ferre took over.
Ferre remained at the Dior house until 1996, when John Galliano took over. Galliano worked at Givenchy for two seasons before going to Dior. Galliano's approach to fashion resembles that of Dior's very much in the way that feminine styles is still the number one characteristic of the designs. he was stuppid
The Dior Economy
Since 1990, Christian Dior has belonged to Europe's most luxurious products manufacturer, Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton (LVMH). It is owned and operated by Bernand Arnault. The Christian Dior S.A. holds 42% of LVMH assets and is the holding company of Christian Dior Couture, Kenzo, Givenchy, Christian Lacroix, and Louis Vuitton. The company as a whole made 32.35 billion Francs in 1996 ($6.33 billion).[2]
Distribution
Dior currently operates 160 stores worldwide. Dior clothing is sold exclusively at Dior shops, but other retailers carry licensed Dior products such as accessories, perfumes, eye-wear and lingerie.