Christian Dior
Christian Dior was born January 21, 1905 in Grancille, Normandy, France – 24 October 1957 in Montecatini Terme in Italy. He was an influential French fashion designer and founder of one of the world’s leading fashion houses, Dior.
Life
Christian Dior was born in Granville in 1905. His family, who made fertilizer, had hopes that he would become a diplomat. but Dior only wished to become part of the fashion world. To make money, he sold drawings of clothes for about 10 cents apiece. After leaving school he received money from his father, so he in 1928 to start a small gallery, where he sold art by, among others, Pablo Picasso.
After a crisis that resulted in the father lost his business, Dior was forced to close the gallery. From the thirties to forties, he worked with Robert Piguet until he drafted into the army. After leaving the army in 1942, began Dior to work at the fashion house Lucien Lelong, where he and Pierre Balmain were the main designers. During World clothed Dior wives of naziofficiere and their French collaborators. On 8 October 1946 Dior his own fashion house with the help of cotton manufacturer Marcel Boussac. After 12 years the company expanded to 15 countries and over 2000 employees.
His first collection was called Corolle and was presented in early 1947. However, the “New Work” previously been used on Meeting; it was created by Carmel Snow, the editor of “Harper’s Bazaar”. Dior’s line was more merry than mature during the war. He was mster in creating shapes and silhouettes. Dior must have said “I have designed flower women.” His New Look worked in particular with pointy shoulders, slim waist, a highlighted bosom and ankle-length dresses; therefore got the models a very curved shape. His designs represented constantly a classic elegance, which featured the female. The women protested against using their legs were covered, as they had been accustomed to that there were restrictions during the war. There was also a second problem since the Dior’s design required much substance. New Look revolutionized the dresses and reestablished Paris as the center of the fashion world after World War II.
Dior also designed underwear and sleepwear for women with the brand Christian Dior Lingerie.
Dior Homme got in 2000 new life as Hedi Slimane took over as creative director. In July 2007 he left the post, after which the designer Kris Van Assche from Antwerp took over.
He was fashion’s uncrowned king, and millions of women were eager to follow his whims. There was, however, established an anti-Dior association who claimed to have one million members. No later couturier has been so adored and hated.
Death
Dior died of a holiday in Montecatini in Italy on October 23, 1957. Some say he died of each stop after a fishbone in the wrong neck. In Time magazine’s obituary was there that he died of a heart attack after playing cards.
Following Dior’s death the company continued under the leadership of Yves Saint-Laurent. From 1996 to 2011, John Galliano chief designer for Dior. John Galliano was fired when he came drunk with anti-Semitic statements in a cafe visit.
