House of Dior reaffirms unwavering friendship with China at CIIE

Boris Shiu@AGENT PAY

Dior is once again taking part in the China International Import Expo during which the House and the LVMH Group reaffirmed their unwavering friendship with China through the prism of passionate inventiveness that pushes the boundaries of excellence.

From Christian Dior to Maria Grazia Chiuri and Kim Jones, the artistic directors and successors to the founding couturier have infused their collections with inspiration that radiates the splendors of this culture so dear to Dior, thanks to captivating dialogues.

For the sixth edition of the CIIE, the House of Dior has chosen to spotlight a series of exceptional pieces, symbols of its creativity reflecting the many affinities it has forged with China.

Boris Shiu@AGENT PAY

The exhibition features hats from the Dior Summer 2024 men’s line, strewn with “Ronghua” — exquisite velvet flowers that have been produced in China since the Tang Dynasty (618-907) — alongside two outfits specially dreamed up by Chiuri to highlight the traditional fabrics of the Chinese intangible cultural heritage of the Dong ethnic group in Guizhou Province.

A timeless icon, the Lady Dior is revealed in its most bewitching variations, including a model revisited by Liu Jianhua for the Lady Dior As Seen By project. An object of art and desire, this emblematic bag has also been reinterpreted for the eighth edition of Dior Lady Art by artist Xu Zhen, whose virtuoso works were unveiled for the first time.

Boris Shiu@AGENT PAY

The poetics of reinvention is embodied notably by the Medallion chairs conceived by Chinese architect Ma Yansong for the Salone del Mobile in 2021, and Le Cabinet Extraordinaire, a beauty box, the fruit of a collaboration with design studio Neri&Hu, merging the heritage and future of the Maison.

Boris Shiu@AGENT PAY

To prolong this unique odyssey, visitors will first be invited to discover in video the shared history written between Dior and China.

A second film will be dedicated to the partnership between Dior and the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival, relating the precious, ever-expanding, ever-renewed links between the House and the world of cinema.

As a final surprise, the LVMH pavilion will host a Cabinet of Curiosities, featuring the Lady Dior redesigned by Li Shurui for the third Dior Lady Art, as well as the limited edition Miss Dior Blooming Bouquet with its mischievous Bobby bottle.

It is a multi-faceted celebration paying homage, through all its universes, to the creative audacity of the House of Dior.

Dior’s enduring connection with China has spanned decades.

The roots of Dior’s affinity for China can be traced back to Christian Dior himself, who, without ever visiting China, designed a model baptized “Shanghai” for his 1948 spring-summer collection.

This taste was already present in the Asian-inspired decoration and ornamentation of his childhood home.

Recalling these influences, the couturier expressed his fascination for China in his collections, as evidenced in his silhouettes Pékin, Nuit de Chine, and Bleu de Chine. He furthermore spotlighted the art of calligraphy and ideograms with a print on a dress in the 1950 Verticale line.

In 1980, these exchanges continued and crystallized: Dior opened its first address in Hong Kong, followed by Shanghai in 1994. In Beijing in 2008, 21 artists from the Chinese avant-garde revisited the Maison’s universe and codes at the Ullens Center for Contemporary Art (UCCA).

Then, after Beijing and Shanghai, the Lady Dior As Seen By touring project made a stop in Hong Kong in 2013.

Designers from around the world were invited to share their vision of the iconic bag.

The same year saw the Esprit Dior exhibition at Shanghai’s MoCA, followed the year after by Miss Dior, which traveled in 2015 to Shanghai Sculpture Space and then to Beijing’s UCCA Center for Contemporary Art, showcasing the work of a number of leading female artists.

Between 2014 and 2015, Le Théâtre Dior was staged in various cities, starting with Chengdu.

Another high point, Monsieur Dior’s love of the color blue was honored in 2017 at the I Feel Blue exhibition at the West Bund Art & Design.

In 2019 and 2020, the Shanghai Exhibition Center hosted the fourth and fifth editions of Dior Lady Art, exalting Lady Dior.

In September 2023, this exceptional bag was once again illuminated in an unprecedented retrospective in Qingdao, focusing on several reinterpretations by six Chinese artists over the course of the different editions of this singular project.

Affirming even further this admiration, the Maison’s collections are regularly flown to China for exclusive défilés, such as the spring-summer 2018 haute couture show at the Shanghai East Coast Minsheng Art Pier that preceded a sumptuous Dior Ball.

The spring-summer 2020 ready-to-wear line — presented, after Paris, at the Shanghai Exhibition Center — was enhanced by a capsule partly inspired by the Mutabilis rose, devised as a poetic tribute to Chinese culture.

For Fall 2021, Dior joined the official Shanghai Fashion Week calendar as guest of honor. The outfits designed by Chiuri were shown in a new light, during a repeat show — complete with several new silhouettes — held at the Long Museum West Bund.

These strong bonds are renewed through the Art’N Dior exhibitions traveling around the country, from Shenzhen to Shanghai and Nanjing.

The ode to the legacy of Christian Dior — who was a gallery owner before becoming a couturier — offers a gripping journey into the history and creativity of House.

On the occasion of the China International Import Expo (CIIE), alongside the LVMH Group Houses, Dior has reaffirmed, more than ever since 2019, its unfailing friendship with China, through the prism of passionate inventiveness that pushes the boundaries of excellence.

A celebration of dreams, joy and creative beauty in all its forms, reinforces the multiple affinities that unite Dior with Chinese culture.