Dior Homme took to the catwalk with a lineup of embellished men’s looks, offering a romantic take on tailoring for one of the major shows of Paris fashion week. 
 
Fashion industry events have remained subdued due to the recent surge in coronavirus cases, which kept many international visitors from attending, but the Dior show drew crowds of onlookers to the Place de la Concorde angling for a view of the celebrity arrivals, who included Naomi Campbell. 
 
Inside the temporary venue, models strode down a replica of the ornate Pont Alexandre bridge in grey Birkenstocks and sequined derbies, showcasing the designs drawn up by Dior men’s artistic director Kim Jones.

<a href="https://www.wionews.com/entertainment/bts-online-comic-7fates-chakho-garners-15-million-views-within-two-days-of-its-global-launch-446128" hreflang="en">BTS online comic '7Fates: Chakho' garners 15 million views within two days of its global launch&nbsp;</a> 
 
“I wanted to look at the archive, at the purity of the beginnings of the house, at its original impulse,” said Jones, who dedicated the show to fashion journalist Andre Leon Talley, who died on Tuesday. 
 
Drawing on silhouettes from early collections of the 75-year-old label, which belongs to LVMH, the designer tweaked the house`s famously feminine bar jacket offering a version for men. 
 
He brightened the lineup's muted palette of grey, beige and ivory tones with embroidered lily-of-the-valley flower patterns and shimmery patches of sequins, applying them to sweaters and sleek puffer jackets.

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Finishing the looks, models wore trim berets that matched their outfits. The house`s hat designer, Stephen Jones, accompanied the designer for his post-show bow, when a burst of sunlight was projected onto the backdrop of a grey, Paris skyline.

Dior Homme took to the catwalk with a lineup of embellished men’s looks, offering a romantic take on tailoring for one of the major shows of Paris fashion week. Fashion industry events have remained subdued due to the recent surge in coronavirus cases, which kept many international visitors from attending, but the Dior show drew crowds of onlookers to the Place de la Concorde angling for a view of the celebrity arrivals, who included Naomi Campbell.

Dior Homme took to the catwalk with a lineup of embellished men’s looks, offering a romantic take on tailoring for one of the major shows of Paris fashion week. Fashion industry events have remained subdued due to the recent surge in coronavirus cases, which kept many international visitors from attending, but the Dior show drew crowds of onlookers to the Place de la Concorde angling for a view of the celebrity arrivals, who included Naomi Campbell. Inside the temporary venue, models strode down a replica of the ornate Pont Alexandre bridge in grey Birkenstocks and sequined derbies, showcasing the designs drawn up by Dior men’s artistic director Kim Jones. BTS online comic '7Fates: Chakho' garners 15 million views within two days of its global launch “I wanted to look at the archive, at the purity of the beginnings of the house, at its original impulse,” said Jones, who dedicated the show to fashion journalist Andre Leon Talley, who died on Tuesday. Drawing on silhouettes from early collections of the 75-year-old label, which belongs to LVMH, the designer tweaked the house`s famously feminine bar jacket offering a version for men. He brightened the lineup's muted palette of grey, beige and ivory tones with embroidered lily-of-the-valley flower patterns and shimmery patches of sequins, applying them to sweaters and sleek puffer jackets. Megan Fox's engagement ring is designed to hurt when taken off, watch video Finishing the looks, models wore trim berets that matched their outfits. The house`s hat designer, Stephen Jones, accompanied the designer for his post-show bow, when a burst of sunlight was projected onto the backdrop of a grey, Paris skyline.

Dior Homme swings romantic with embellished men’s looks at Paris Fashion Week

French fashion house Dior on Thursday returned to live audience shows with a firework-punctuated presentation of its 2022 Cruise collection in Athens at the Panathenaic stadium, site of the first modern Olympic Games.

Watched by celebrities including film star Catherine Deneuve, model Cara Delevingne and Queen's Gambit actress Anya Taylor Joy as well as Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the collection showcased designs inspired by antiquity and traditional Greek dress.

Greek artisans whose work was featured in the collection included a tailor and embroiderer from Argos in the Peloponnese, a silk factory in the northeastern town of Soufli, and a maker of fisherman's caps from the port of Piraeus.

"I am very interested in the craftmanship. It's my passion," Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri told AFP.

"Each country has many different aspects in fashion," she said.

Cruise collections fall between usual spring/summer and autumn/winter collections -- and French houses often visit other countries for the launch.&nbsp;

The event in Athens "(blends) the power of heritage and contemporary inventiveness," Dior said.

The peplos, the robe traditionally worn by women in ancient Greece, was a "key inspiration" for the show's tunics, the fashion house said.&nbsp;

The collection -- mostly in black, white, grey, gold and blue -- also included sportswear pieces and suits inspired by jackets and pants worn by Marlene Dietrich.

The show took place 70 years after an iconic Dior shoot at the Acropolis.

"We are very proud to be here," Chiuri said.

"When I arrived in Dior I found the archive and I said, one day it would be great to realise again this trip in Greece. In some ways, it’s an anniversary," she said.

In addition to the Acropolis, Greek officials have permitted Dior photo shoots at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Ancient Agora in Athens, the temple of Poseidon at Sounio and the temple of Zeus at Nemea.

Chiuri said getting crowds back was a welcome feeling. The last show with spectators, a smaller affair, was in September.

"We worked a lot with video, film, but it’s completely different to have an audience at our fashion show. It's like a concert," she said.

"The guests are part of the show with us."

Last summer, Dior launched its cruise collection in Piazza del Duomo in Lecce in Italy.

French fashion house Dior on Thursday returned to live audience shows with a firework-punctuated presentation of its 2022 Cruise collection in Athens at the Panathenaic stadium, site of the first modern Olympic Games.

French fashion house Dior on Thursday returned to live audience shows with a firework-punctuated presentation of its 2022 Cruise collection in Athens at the Panathenaic stadium, site of the first modern Olympic Games. Watched by celebrities including film star Catherine Deneuve, model Cara Delevingne and Queen's Gambit actress Anya Taylor Joy as well as Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou, the collection showcased designs inspired by antiquity and traditional Greek dress. Greek artisans whose work was featured in the collection included a tailor and embroiderer from Argos in the Peloponnese, a silk factory in the northeastern town of Soufli, and a maker of fisherman's caps from the port of Piraeus. "I am very interested in the craftmanship. It's my passion," Dior creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri told AFP. "Each country has many different aspects in fashion," she said. Cruise collections fall between usual spring/summer and autumn/winter collections -- and French houses often visit other countries for the launch. The event in Athens "(blends) the power of heritage and contemporary inventiveness," Dior said. The peplos, the robe traditionally worn by women in ancient Greece, was a "key inspiration" for the show's tunics, the fashion house said. The collection -- mostly in black, white, grey, gold and blue -- also included sportswear pieces and suits inspired by jackets and pants worn by Marlene Dietrich. The show took place 70 years after an iconic Dior shoot at the Acropolis. "We are very proud to be here," Chiuri said. "When I arrived in Dior I found the archive and I said, one day it would be great to realise again this trip in Greece. In some ways, it’s an anniversary," she said. In addition to the Acropolis, Greek officials have permitted Dior photo shoots at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Ancient Agora in Athens, the temple of Poseidon at Sounio and the temple of Zeus at Nemea. Chiuri said getting crowds back was a welcome feeling. The last show with spectators, a smaller affair, was in September. "We worked a lot with video, film, but it’s completely different to have an audience at our fashion show. It's like a concert," she said. "The guests are part of the show with us." Last summer, Dior launched its cruise collection in Piazza del Duomo in Lecce in Italy.

Dior channels ancient Greece for Cruise collection

Greece's top archaeological advisory body Wednesday approved use of several key sites including the Acropolis for an upcoming shoot by French fashion house Dior, a culture ministry source said.

The photo shoots will be held for material to be presented during a runway show in Athens next month, the ministry official said.

The trip will pay homage to an iconic photo session at the Acropolis 70 years ago for an haute couture collection by Christian Dior.&nbsp;

The official said the central archaeological council had "unanimously" approved the shoots.

In addition to the Acropolis, photo shoots will be held at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Ancient Agora in Athens, the temple of Poseidon at Sounio and the temple of Zeus at Nemea, the official said.

A further request to shoot at the Panathenaic stadium, where the 1896 Olympics were held, will be discussed on Thursday.

Dior will hold a runway show on June 17 in Athens to launch its inter-season collection.

"This is not a runway show at the Acropolis," the official emphasised.

The move comes on the heels of ongoing criticism of the Greek government by the opposition over its management of the country's priceless archaeological heritage.

In March, there was criticism over restoration work at the Acropolis that includes a new concrete footpath. The culture ministry has said the redesign improves wheelchair accessibility.

There is also an ongoing row over the planned relocation of antiquities in Thessaloniki for metro construction.&nbsp;

Earlier this month, dozens of intellectuals including several Byzantine experts penned an open letter, calling on the Greek state to leave the antiquities in place.

Greece's top archaeological advisory body Wednesday approved use of several key sites including the Acropolis for an upcoming shoot by French fashion house Dior, a culture ministry source said.

Greece's top archaeological advisory body Wednesday approved use of several key sites including the Acropolis for an upcoming shoot by French fashion house Dior, a culture ministry source said. The photo shoots will be held for material to be presented during a runway show in Athens next month, the ministry official said. The trip will pay homage to an iconic photo session at the Acropolis 70 years ago for an haute couture collection by Christian Dior. The official said the central archaeological council had "unanimously" approved the shoots. In addition to the Acropolis, photo shoots will be held at the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Ancient Agora in Athens, the temple of Poseidon at Sounio and the temple of Zeus at Nemea, the official said. A further request to shoot at the Panathenaic stadium, where the 1896 Olympics were held, will be discussed on Thursday. Dior will hold a runway show on June 17 in Athens to launch its inter-season collection. "This is not a runway show at the Acropolis," the official emphasised. The move comes on the heels of ongoing criticism of the Greek government by the opposition over its management of the country's priceless archaeological heritage. In March, there was criticism over restoration work at the Acropolis that includes a new concrete footpath. The culture ministry has said the redesign improves wheelchair accessibility. There is also an ongoing row over the planned relocation of antiquities in Thessaloniki for metro construction. Earlier this month, dozens of intellectuals including several Byzantine experts penned an open letter, calling on the Greek state to leave the antiquities in place.

Greece approves Dior shoot at key ancient sites

Christian Dior kicked off Paris Fashion Week in earnest on Tuesday with a socially-distanced runway show as models paraded around an art installation recalling Gothic-style stained-glass windows to a live choir performance.

Fashion brands are hesitantly returning to the catwalk after holding off for many months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Paris` fashion week, which runs until Oct. 6, will include a mix of physical and digital events.

At Dior, guests wore face masks and were given temperature checks, with crowds limited to 300 rather than the 800 to 1,000 the label, owned by LVMH, would normally invite.

The COVID-19 crisis also influenced the collection, womenswear designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said, including with the looser, flowing lines of some outfits meant to "support us, to feel better".

The label`s normally structured and cinched classic Bar jackets got a softer makeover, while some looks came with a Japanese twist, including kimono-like spring coats, in an array of paisley prints, tie-dye stripes or floral patterns.

The styles contained nods to female figures or writers, including a couple of long, buttoned up white shirts, a style Susan Sontag has been pictured in.

"This social distance in some way doesn`t help us to have a dialogue with the other," Chiuri said in an interview. "So probably it`s also for that that I want this dialogue with other women, I don`t want to close myself in a room, to stay alone."

A mix of materials, including Indonesian ikat fabrics, also echoed the "collage" theme, as did the illuminated windows of the decor by Italian artist Lucia Marcucci, containing a patchwork of photos and newspaper clippings.

Some celebrities welcomed the low key nature of the show.

"I actually feel this new environment that we`ve created with more space and more respect for one another – I actually think that it`s a much more pleasant way of viewing the shows, and consuming art," said 'Games of Thrones'&nbsp;actress Maisie Williams.

Christian Dior kicked off Paris Fashion Week in earnest on Tuesday with a socially-distanced runway show as models paraded around an art installation recalling Gothic-style stained-glass windows to a live choir performance.

Christian Dior kicked off Paris Fashion Week in earnest on Tuesday with a socially-distanced runway show as models paraded around an art installation recalling Gothic-style stained-glass windows to a live choir performance. Fashion brands are hesitantly returning to the catwalk after holding off for many months due to the coronavirus pandemic. Paris` fashion week, which runs until Oct. 6, will include a mix of physical and digital events. At Dior, guests wore face masks and were given temperature checks, with crowds limited to 300 rather than the 800 to 1,000 the label, owned by LVMH, would normally invite. The COVID-19 crisis also influenced the collection, womenswear designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said, including with the looser, flowing lines of some outfits meant to "support us, to feel better". The label`s normally structured and cinched classic Bar jackets got a softer makeover, while some looks came with a Japanese twist, including kimono-like spring coats, in an array of paisley prints, tie-dye stripes or floral patterns. The styles contained nods to female figures or writers, including a couple of long, buttoned up white shirts, a style Susan Sontag has been pictured in. "This social distance in some way doesn`t help us to have a dialogue with the other," Chiuri said in an interview. "So probably it`s also for that that I want this dialogue with other women, I don`t want to close myself in a room, to stay alone." A mix of materials, including Indonesian ikat fabrics, also echoed the "collage" theme, as did the illuminated windows of the decor by Italian artist Lucia Marcucci, containing a patchwork of photos and newspaper clippings. Some celebrities welcomed the low key nature of the show. "I actually feel this new environment that we`ve created with more space and more respect for one another – I actually think that it`s a much more pleasant way of viewing the shows, and consuming art," said 'Games of Thrones' actress Maisie Williams.

With masked guests, Christian Dior returns to catwalk in Paris Fashion Week 2020

French luxury label Christian Dior said on Monday it would press ahead with a calendar of fashion shows for this year starting in July with an Italian catwalk display - but without the celebrated front-row audience of A-listers. 
 
The coronavirus crisis has accelerated a rethink among high-end brands of how collections are presented, with some opting out of costly events and restricting the number of clothing ranges they produce. 
 
Dior, one of the LVMH conglomerate`s biggest labels, said it was maintaining its calendar of industry fashion weeks that brings buyers and bloggers to Paris, and would produce other collections in between. 
 
It will premiere a mid-season "cruise" range in the Italian city of Lecce on July 22 with a streamed live show, Chief Executive Pietro Beccari said, after a presentation planned for May was postponed. 
 
"We would like to send a message of support, of hope, of optimism and of rebirth," Beccari said. "I`m thinking about big suppliers but also the small ones, many tiny family businesses of artisans in France and in Italy ... many of them didn`t know and still do not know how to survive." 
 
High-end brands often rely on firms to manufacture luxurious cloth or products that require special treatment, such as items covered in feathers or tinted by hand. 
 
Dior planned to go ahead with a womenswear fashion show usually held in Paris in September, Beccari said, adding that by then it might even bring in a front-row audience. 
 
"Fashion week is important not only for the fashion family, but it`s also important for the city where the shows are," Dior`s designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said. 
 
Fashion events are usually big business for cities like Paris, with hotels normally rammed during that period.

French luxury label Christian Dior said on Monday it would press ahead with a calendar of fashion shows for this year starting in July with an Italian catwalk display - but without the celebrated front-row audience of A-listers.

French luxury label Christian Dior said on Monday it would press ahead with a calendar of fashion shows for this year starting in July with an Italian catwalk display - but without the celebrated front-row audience of A-listers. The coronavirus crisis has accelerated a rethink among high-end brands of how collections are presented, with some opting out of costly events and restricting the number of clothing ranges they produce. Dior, one of the LVMH conglomerate`s biggest labels, said it was maintaining its calendar of industry fashion weeks that brings buyers and bloggers to Paris, and would produce other collections in between. It will premiere a mid-season "cruise" range in the Italian city of Lecce on July 22 with a streamed live show, Chief Executive Pietro Beccari said, after a presentation planned for May was postponed. "We would like to send a message of support, of hope, of optimism and of rebirth," Beccari said. "I`m thinking about big suppliers but also the small ones, many tiny family businesses of artisans in France and in Italy ... many of them didn`t know and still do not know how to survive." High-end brands often rely on firms to manufacture luxurious cloth or products that require special treatment, such as items covered in feathers or tinted by hand. Dior planned to go ahead with a womenswear fashion show usually held in Paris in September, Beccari said, adding that by then it might even bring in a front-row audience. "Fashion week is important not only for the fashion family, but it`s also important for the city where the shows are," Dior`s designer Maria Grazia Chiuri said. Fashion events are usually big business for cities like Paris, with hotels normally rammed during that period.

Dior revives fashion shows - but with no front row

Christian Dior turned back the clock for its latest runway show in Paris on Tuesday, as designer Maria Grazia Chiuri dipped into her childhood and teenage memories in Italy with 1970s-inspired looks. 
 
Models wearing headscarves showcased pieces in chequered prints and plenty of fringes, while the designer also explored feminist references that first inspired her, and which have become a recurrent theme for the LVMH -owned brand. 
 
"I come back to when I was younger in Rome around the seventies, eighties, because it was an important moment of my life... with important issues like the liberation of women," Chiuri told Reuters in an interview.&nbsp;

&nbsp; <img alt="DIOR" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="627c7dac-15fe-4bed-aaff-6c1a98c64765" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%284%29_42.jpg" /> 
 
Some looks seemed inspired directly by Chiuri's own experiences, including a camouflage-style puffer jacket. 
 
"I remember the first time I went to the flea-market to buy my denim pants, my military jacket because I didn`t want to be dressed with a pretty dress in which I didn`t recognise myself," she said.

<img alt="DIOR" data-entity-type="file" data-entity-uuid="8695b70c-6d03-4a05-92f3-c906a88e5922" src="//cdn.wionews.com/sites/default/files/inline-images/Untitled%20design%20%281%29_95.jpg" /> 
 
Actresses Demi Moore, Nina Dobrev, and Sigourney Weaver were among the stars on the front row at the Paris show. Dior was one of the first major French brands to kick off Paris Fashion Week, which closes the latest season of shows that have whizzed through New York, London and Milan. 
 
Inspired by Carla Lonzi, a feminist activist from the seventies and Marc Bohan, Dior`s creative director for 30 years, the Autumn-Winter styles featured polka-dot prints, crossed-body bags and see-through shirts. 
 
Dior also reinterpreted the brand's distinctive "Bar" jacket in a curvaceous cashmere wool cardigan. 
 
Other evening looks were more luxurious, like sheer silk gowns, though many were styled with sturdy boots rather than stilettos. The show closed on glittery, fluid dresses. 
 
The venue was designed by the Claire Fontaine collective, and included displays of illuminated messages such as "Consent" and "We are all clitoridian women" hung above the catwalk inside a pop-up installation in the Jardin des Tuileries. 
 
"There are certain times that you sense fashion is going to break open and I feel it's happening a little bit right now," American actress Andie MacDowell told Reuters after the show. "From losing corsets to burning bras, I think women are empowering each other." 
 
The coronavirus outbreak meant there were few Asian buyers in attendance. Last week, Italian fashion houses presented in an empty theatre at Milan Fashion Week.

Christian Dior turned back the clock for its latest runway show in Paris on Tuesday, as designer Maria Grazia Chiuri dipped into her childhood and teenage memories in Italy with 1970s-inspired looks.

Christian Dior turned back the clock for its latest runway show in Paris on Tuesday, as designer Maria Grazia Chiuri dipped into her childhood and teenage memories in Italy with 1970s-inspired looks. Models wearing headscarves showcased pieces in chequered prints and plenty of fringes, while the designer also explored feminist references that first inspired her, and which have become a recurrent theme for the LVMH -owned brand. "I come back to when I was younger in Rome around the seventies, eighties, because it was an important moment of my life... with important issues like the liberation of women," Chiuri told Reuters in an interview. Some looks seemed inspired directly by Chiuri's own experiences, including a camouflage-style puffer jacket. "I remember the first time I went to the flea-market to buy my denim pants, my military jacket because I didn`t want to be dressed with a pretty dress in which I didn`t recognise myself," she said. Actresses Demi Moore, Nina Dobrev, and Sigourney Weaver were among the stars on the front row at the Paris show. Dior was one of the first major French brands to kick off Paris Fashion Week, which closes the latest season of shows that have whizzed through New York, London and Milan. Inspired by Carla Lonzi, a feminist activist from the seventies and Marc Bohan, Dior`s creative director for 30 years, the Autumn-Winter styles featured polka-dot prints, crossed-body bags and see-through shirts. Dior also reinterpreted the brand's distinctive "Bar" jacket in a curvaceous cashmere wool cardigan. Other evening looks were more luxurious, like sheer silk gowns, though many were styled with sturdy boots rather than stilettos. The show closed on glittery, fluid dresses. The venue was designed by the Claire Fontaine collective, and included displays of illuminated messages such as "Consent" and "We are all clitoridian women" hung above the catwalk inside a pop-up installation in the Jardin des Tuileries. "There are certain times that you sense fashion is going to break open and I feel it's happening a little bit right now," American actress Andie MacDowell told Reuters after the show. "From losing corsets to burning bras, I think women are empowering each other." The coronavirus outbreak meant there were few Asian buyers in attendance. Last week, Italian fashion houses presented in an empty theatre at Milan Fashion Week.

Christian Dior plays with 1970s influences at Paris Fashion Week

Around an enormous outdoor runway lit with dozens of floating tealights, French label Christian Dior crisscrossed cultures and continents at its first fashion show in Morocco on Monday, with beaded dresses and patterned prints taking centre stage.

The 'Cruise'&nbsp;Collection - hosted outside the usual fashion week calendar, but which is an important source of sales - drew stars including actresses Lupita Nyong'o and Shailene Woodley to Marrakech for the extravaganza.

As night fell over the city's 16th century El Badi Palace and its pool and gardens, models - some wearing bandanas - showcased flowing gowns in maroon or black alongside patterned styles in fabrics from Ivory Coast, fashioned into the brand's trademark synched suit jackets.

Unusually for the French label, it commissioned an Abidjan-based firm to manufacture the cloth, which in its most elaborate form is printed on two sides, and which featured Toile de Jouy-style figures and landscapes Dior is known for.

"You're really speaking about the human touch here, like in couture," Dior's creative chief Maria Grazia Chiuri said in an interview in Paris ahead of the show. The fabrics, found across West Africa and showcasing symbols that are sometimes used as a form of language, had inspired the collection, she added.

Designers Pathé Ouedraogo - or Pathe'O, from Burkina Faso, who is known for dressing Nelson Mandela - and Grace Wales Bonner, a British artist, also worked with Dior on pieces for the show, among other collaborators.

"It helps us to have a different point of view," Chiuri said, adding that fashion was shifting from a time when it only "spoke only with a small audience".

"The way you can speak about the silhouette, the relationship between the dress and the body, and about how you represent yourself, if you see this argument only from one point of view, I don't think it's believable today."

LVMH-owned Dior and other luxury brands are increasingly turning to elaborate or far-flung catwalk displays to emphasise their Cruise ranges, which tend to have a longer shelf life in store than other collections.

With the Marrakech show, Dior also paid homage to the late Yves Saint Laurent, who took on the brand's creative reigns in the late 1950s and was inspired by North Africa throughout his career.

A museum dedicated to the designer, who went on to found his own label, opened in Marrakech in 2017.

Around an enormous outdoor runway lit with dozens of floating tealights, French label Christian Dior crisscrossed cultures and continents at its first fashion show in Morocco on Monday, with beaded dresses and patterned prints taking centre stage.

Around an enormous outdoor runway lit with dozens of floating tealights, French label Christian Dior crisscrossed cultures and continents at its first fashion show in Morocco on Monday, with beaded dresses and patterned prints taking centre stage. The 'Cruise' Collection - hosted outside the usual fashion week calendar, but which is an important source of sales - drew stars including actresses Lupita Nyong'o and Shailene Woodley to Marrakech for the extravaganza. As night fell over the city's 16th century El Badi Palace and its pool and gardens, models - some wearing bandanas - showcased flowing gowns in maroon or black alongside patterned styles in fabrics from Ivory Coast, fashioned into the brand's trademark synched suit jackets. Unusually for the French label, it commissioned an Abidjan-based firm to manufacture the cloth, which in its most elaborate form is printed on two sides, and which featured Toile de Jouy-style figures and landscapes Dior is known for. "You're really speaking about the human touch here, like in couture," Dior's creative chief Maria Grazia Chiuri said in an interview in Paris ahead of the show. The fabrics, found across West Africa and showcasing symbols that are sometimes used as a form of language, had inspired the collection, she added. Designers Pathé Ouedraogo - or Pathe'O, from Burkina Faso, who is known for dressing Nelson Mandela - and Grace Wales Bonner, a British artist, also worked with Dior on pieces for the show, among other collaborators. "It helps us to have a different point of view," Chiuri said, adding that fashion was shifting from a time when it only "spoke only with a small audience". "The way you can speak about the silhouette, the relationship between the dress and the body, and about how you represent yourself, if you see this argument only from one point of view, I don't think it's believable today." LVMH-owned Dior and other luxury brands are increasingly turning to elaborate or far-flung catwalk displays to emphasise their Cruise ranges, which tend to have a longer shelf life in store than other collections. With the Marrakech show, Dior also paid homage to the late Yves Saint Laurent, who took on the brand's creative reigns in the late 1950s and was inspired by North Africa throughout his career. A museum dedicated to the designer, who went on to found his own label, opened in Marrakech in 2017.

Luxury label Dior lights up Marrakech with fashion show and floating candles