DIOR - THE EARLY LIFE OF THE BRAND

DIOR - THE EARLY LIFE OF THE BRAND


While this was going on, Diors younger sister Catherine was captured by Gestapo after joining the French Resistance. She was imprisoned in a concentration camp but luckily she survived. In 1947 Dior released his fragrance MISS DIOR as a tribute to his sister.

First bottle of Miss Dior, 1947

The year before this in 1946 he founded his fashion house 'Christian Dior' at 30 avenue Montaigne Paris on the 16th December (WHICH IS STILL IN USE TODAY). He was backed by a cotton fabric magnate MARCEL BOUSSAC who was at the time one of the worlds most wealthiest men. Officially speaking Dior's fashion house didn't begin until February 12th 1947 as that is when he showed his first collection at his first couture show famously known as THE NEW LOOK.

Dior was known to be very superstitious, each collection his created included a coat which would be named after his place of birth, Granville. His supersition grew with age, in each of his fashion shows at least one model would wear a bunch of flowers, these flowers where lilies of the valley as that was his favourite flower. Before the beginning of every couture show he refused to begin without seeking information from his tarot card reader.

In 1948 Dior Established a house on the corner of 5th avenue and 57th street in New York. It was the first of its kind, this house was a luxuary ready-to-wear fashion house. This was also the year that he set up 'Dior Parfums'. Beginning with 'Miss Dior' and following with 'Diorama' a year later.

In 1949 Dior began to put the full outfits together, he realised the importance of the complete look. Once deciding that famous 'NEW LOOK' which he released could not be complete without the perfect Dior shoes and accessories, he began to create them. Along with a business partner 'JACQUES ROUET' and licensed his name to a large range of luxury accessories. He began manufacturing shoes, gloves, hats, furs, stockings, ties and perfume in regional centers across the globe. This was highly criticized by the french chamber of couture, they said the Dior had made haute couture look cheap. However Dior made so much profit off it and slowly all the fashion houses began to follow his footsteps.