A brand that made a big transformation in the beauty, clothing, and fragrance industry. A brand that gave us the “New Look”. Do you already know which luxury brand we are referring to? DIOR.

DIOR started with an ambition and dream and made this all come true, by becoming one of the most-known designers. The luxury brand has a rich history, and we are happy to tell you more about it in this blog.

Where it all started…

Let’s go back in time. It’s 1946. World War II had just ended, and a 41-year-old man named Christian Dior wanted women to rediscover joy, beauty, and elegance after such a horrible period. By that time the French-born designer already gained quite some experience in arts, as he ran a gallery of arts in Paris before his training at Lucien Lelong as a dress designer. It was this year that Christian Dior made his ambitions a reality and the House of DIOR was founded.

Shortly after the foundation of DIOR, the first collection of the luxury brand was presented at the DIOR headquarters in Paris in 1947. It was ‘The Bar Jacket’ that stole the show. Practical, but restrictive fashion to honor the natural curves of the female body. The show was a big success and spectators called it ‘the new look’.

However, it was not only the first collection that made 1947 a big year for DIOR. The fashion house launched its first fragrance, called ‘Miss Dior’ (dedicated to Christian’s sister, named Catherine).

Only one year later the luxury brand already took over New York, where it opened stores on 57th Street and Fifth Avenue. The brand was a major success. 75% of Paris’ fashion exports and 5% of the French total export revenue was DIOR.

The growth of DIOR

But it didn’t just stop at clothing and fragrance. It was 1955 when DIOR released its first lipstick. Also, a shoe line was launched in their exclusive collection. That same year Christian Dior met Saint Laurent and was impressed by the talent of the, then, 19-year-old. Dior hired Saint Laurent as an assistant. Did you know these iconic two names used to work together?

In 1957, Dior appeared on TIME’s cover, being part of a high fashion feature. It was the first couturier who achieve this. Unfortunately, shortly after this release, the iconic designer passed away at the age of only 57 years.

One of the wishes of Christian Dior was that Saint Laurent would become his follow-up. So this wish was honored, and Saint Laurent was appointed as the new artistic director of DIOR.

In the 1960s it was a new decade without their founder, Christian. This was also the year that Saint Laurent was replaced by Marc Bohan, the new Creative Director of the iconic brand. A milestone for the 70s was the fact that DIOR launched their first clothing line for men, called ‘DIOR Homme’.

Also after the ’60s and ’70s DIOR got led by various replacements. What we cannot forget to mention is an iconic piece, that made its debut in 1994. The Lady DIOR bag. The bag got this nickname the year after when Princess Diana received the bag as a gift from the First Lady of France. It became a real to-go piece of the princess.

DIOR is a brand with a rich history. From luxury fashion to perfumes and luxury cosmetics. Whether it’s a ready-to-wear dress or a haute couture, it will gain the attention of everyone present in the room. A real symbol of luxury and femininity. The iconic brand has been led by incredible talent in the fashion industry, and we are sure they will continue to do so for many years.