Dior Brand

Dior, a brand rooted in history and just as luxurious as it sounds. An internationally renowned brand
since 1946, the French fashion house acclaimed for its elegance and timeless femininity. A leading
company that has remained at the top of fashion's hierarchy for over 70 years, Dior's unique look has
influenced the world of fashion since the beginning. Innovative but traditional, Dior maintains its
reputation as creator of recognized haute couture. From their ready-to-wear fashion, leather goods,
accessories, or footwear, Dior changed the game forever. To this day, the brand is all around us in some
way, shape, or form - even if we don't know it.

Founded by Christian Dior, born January 1905, the fashion house was established in December 1946 at
30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris. Dior's first collection launched on February 12th for Spring / Summer
1947 at the company's headquarters. An instant success, Harper's Bazaar Editor-In-Chief Carmel Snow
strongly believed in Dior's talent. "It's quite a revolution, dear Christian! Your dresses have such a new
look," she exclaimed. Thus, the "New Look" became a trademark. Introducing unique silhouettes
consisting of shorter, fuller skirts, tighter waists, and accentuated busts - Dior's pieces were
revolutionary, especially in the 40s. "I wanted my dresses to be 'constructed', molded on the curves of
the female body whose contours they would stylish. I accentuated the waist, the volume of the hips, and
I emphasized the bust. In order to give my designs more hold, I had nearly all the fabrics lined with
percale of taffeta, renewing a tradition that had long been abandoned," said Christian Dior.

The brand continued to flourish. By the mid 1950s the house of Dior was a highly respected fashion
empire. Dior dressed countless celebrities including Marlene Dietrich, Ava Gardner and members of the
royal family.

Upon the tragic death of Christian Dior in 1957, 21 year old Yves Saint Laurent took the creative reigns of
the acclaimed fashion house. Saint Laurent kept Christian Dior's legacy alive by using the same fabrics,
keeping the proportions and silhouettes relatively similar. However, Saint Laurent's collections featured
pieces that were softer, lighter and easier to wear. Saint Laurent's designs became more daring due to
his success at the fashion house until 1960 when his bohemian collection was harshly criticized. Saint
Laurent was called up to join the French army, thus forcing him to leave Maison Dior, which raised no
objection with the Dior management.

Following the departure of Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan was appointed creative head in the late
1960s. Instilling a more conservative style, he was credited as the man who kept the Dior label "at the
forefront of fashion while still producing wearable, elegant clothes" and Women's Wear Daily claimed
that Bohan "rescued the firm." In 1967, Bohan's assistant Philippe Guibourgé launched the brand's first
French ready-to-wear collection called "Miss Dior."

Following the departure of Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan was appointed creative head in the late
1960s. Instilling a more conservative style, he was credited as the man who kept the Dior label "at the
forefront of fashion while still producing wearable, elegant clothes" and Women's Wear Daily claimed
that Bohan "rescued the firm." In 1967, Bohan's assistant Philippe Guibourgé launched the brand's first
French ready-to-wear collection called "Miss Dior."
 By 1990, Dior boutiques were opened in upscale New York City, Los Angeles and Tokyo shopping
districts. That year, Dior's revenue was 129.3 million USD, with a net income of $22 million. By 1995, the
label's revenue rose to 177 million USD, with a net income of $26.9 million.

Princess during her visit to a children's home in Birmingham. She was photographed that day with bag,
holding a child in her arms. A few weeks later, she was photographed again with her favourite bag
during a state visit to Argentina. Described as "iconic" and "legendary", Dior launched the bag in a larger
series and changed the name to the "Lady Dior" in 1996 with Princess Diana's blessing. Two hundred
thousand models were sold in two years, thus Dior's leather goods turnover massively increased.

The Lady Dior bag features padded cannage leather, inspired by the Napoléon ||| chairs Christian Dior
once used to welcome clients on the day of his first show in 1947. With its structured silhouette, and
sturdy top handles, the Lady Dior also features the letters D, I, O, R on charm pedants as an eternal
signature. Each Lady Dior is crafted by hand. Commencing with manual cutting out of the leathers, the
pieces are then assembled and moulded around a wooden form, finally it is meticulously sewn together.
In total, there are 140 distinct pieces that are necessary in the process of creating a Lady Dior, hence the
luxurious quality.

Over the years, several celebrities have been the face of Lady Dior including Carla Bruni, Diana Kruger,
Monica Bellucci and Marion Cotillard. To this day, the Lady Dior remains an iconic piece for the brand.

Under the influence of Anna Wintour, Editor-In-Chief of Vogue, Dior appointed John Galliano as creative
director in 1997, replacing Gianfranco Ferré. The choice of British designer sparked some controversy as
once again, a non-Frenchman held the creative reigns. However, Galliano was compared to Christian
Dior himself by Dior's chairman Bernard Arnault, noting that "Galliano has a creative talent very close to
that of Christian Dior. He has the same extraordinary mixture of romanticism, feminism and modernity
that symbolized Monsieur Dior. In all of his creations - his suits, his dresses - one finds similarities to the
Dior style."

Galliano revolutionized Dior more through his provocative advertising campaigns than through his actual
designs.

In July 2000, Hedi Slimane succeeded Patrick Lavoix as lead designer for Dior Homme. Although the
menswear line was originally founded in 1970 by Marc Bohan, it was no where near as successful as the
womenswear line and the boutique was shut down. Slimane re-vamped Dior Homme, giving it a
modern, masculine aesthetic. Soon, the label had gained prominent male clientele when Brad Pitt and
Mick Jagger were seen wearing it. In 2002, Slimane was awarded the "International Designer of the
Year" award by the CFDA. Kris Van Assche was appointed the new creative director of Dior Homme in
2007 after the departure of Hedi Slimane.

By 2011, chaos struck the house of Dior when several accusations were made against John Galliano for
making anti-Semitic remarks. The label found itself in a "public relations nightmare." Galliano was,
naturally, fired in March just before the debut of his Fall / Winter 2011 collection, which commenced
without him.

Bill Gaytten was appointed as the head designer upon the scandalous departure of John Galliano,
despite the remaining absence of the artistic director position. Gaytten had previously worked under
Galliano for both Dior and the John Galliano label. His first collection for Dior received mostly negative
 reviews, however in January, Gaytten presented his second haute-couture collection which was much
better received.

Finally, it was announced on April 11, 2012 that Raf Simons was appointed as the new artistic director of
Dior. Acclaimed for his minimalist designs, sharp silhouettes and effortlessly chic aesthetic, Simons was
an interesting choice as his work greatly contrasted Galliano's eccentric and flamboyant style. In the
hopes of moving forward from the embarrassment Galliano brought to the Dior name, the company was
more than eager to go in a new direction. Slimane familiarized himself with haute-couture, as the
designer had no previous experience in this field, and spent much time in the Dior archives. Hedi
Slimane presented his first collection for Dior on July 2nd, the Fall / Winter 2012 haute-couture line - it
thrived. Named "the new couture" by the company, Slimane was the breath of fresh air Dior so
desperately needed. His work "made more referenced to Mr. Dior than to the house of Dior" with pieces
inspired by Dior's post World War || designs.

In 2016, it was announced that Maria Grazia Chiuri would succeed Hedi Slimande as artistic director. A
huge leap for the French fashion house, as Grazia Chiuri is the first woman to ever hold the position of
AD. "Of course heritage is important, but I want to move this house further..." Explained Grazia Chirui
when discussing her new position. "Dior stands for femininity but the idea of that is still steeped in the
Fifties, femininity isn't something that finished in the Fifties; it can be more contemporary," she
continued. And so it could. Grazia Chiuri transformed Maison Dior by reinventing it to suit the modern
day woman. Although she stayed true to Dior's roots, she redefined what it means to be feminine. By
adding a masculine touch, she illustrated that elegance could now go hand in hand with edginess. Her
first collection was for Spring / Summer 2017 - a line featuring contrasting fabrics that included tulle,
lace and velvet, while pieces were embellished with flower motifs and ruffles. The fairy-esque collection
was enchanting and beloved by fashion lovers and critics across the globe.

I choose Dior Brand because of its unique history and Although time continues to progress and changes
in the fashion industry are always occurring, Dior continues to produce beautiful, timeless pieces that
remain innovative and original. Truly a brand with a fascinating backstory, Dior remains one of the most
prominent and important fashion houses of our time. If I would have given a chance to build my own
business I want it to be related in fashion industry.

Dior was born out of passion and desire to make a change in how society perceived women. The goal
was to inspire and empower women and indeed, since the beginning and until today this is presented in
Dior's designs, materials used, even marketing approach.

Without proper foundations there can be no fashion. Happiness is the secret to all beauty – there is no
beauty without happiness. Spotlight on Dior eyes. Dior, desire to provide women with timeless beauty.
The Dior Vision as part of the LVMH Group, we strive to embrace our brand values to develop our
Maison. We will respect our identity of classic beauty to ensure excellence and long-term success.