My Favourite Designer…For His Journey – Christian Dior
An unsupportive father, getting sent off to serve in WWII…nothing would stop this individual from attaining their dreams. He was known as one of the most influential designers post WWII era. The late 40’s through 50’s is intriguing; this period reminds me of today. So much loss and tragedy, yet people attempt to create distractions from reality to restore happiness. Designer Christian Dior did not let the odds defy him; his life story is inspiring- one must keep trudging through to attain your dreams.
Dior wanted to become an architect, but he listened to his father’s wishes of becoming a diplomat, Dior then majored in Politics. Dior’s love for the arts was so strong, his father lent Dior money to open an art gallery. In 1931 Dior had to close due to the passing of both his brother and mother. Dior did not want this to be the last of his career, he began selling his fashion sketches on the streets of Paris.
Dior was then pulled up to serve in WWII for France, “At the end of his service in 1942, he began working…where he and…Balmain were…primary designers…dressed the wives of Nazi officers”(Christian Dior Biography, Vogue). During that time, he saw the general direction of fashion losing its meaning. Dior realized the world needed something never seen before to revamp it, Dior felt femininity needed to be taken back.
Dior rose to fame in 1947, when he debuted his ‘New Look’ collection. It revived the fashion industry post-war and restored happiness in the people. The piece that brought him to fame was the Bar Suit. The Bar Suit brought a new femininity to the world, extenuating the woman’s body shape.
Ten years into Dior’s true-life passion and recognition, he suffered from a heart attack and died at fifty-two on October 24th, 1957. Long after Dior died, his brand carried on, and to this day is a top luxury brand. His love for fashion was unstoppable, although he had many barriers, “The name Dior achieved identity almost overnight…” (XI, Christian Dior: The Man who Made the World Look New).
Dior is remembered as a revolutionary in fashion, his story and brand show many parallels to the global pandemic and overall sadness the world was facing during that time. With fashion, Dior was able to spark that glimmer of hope again for the world. As young minds in the industry we should focus on restoring happiness again as well.
Sources:
Christian Dior: The Man who Made the World Look New by Marie France Pochna
https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/christian-dior
https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/christian-dior