Monday afternoon, the president of Dior, Pietro Beccari, and the artistic director of the female collections, Maria Grazia Chiuri, invited 600 journalists around the world, to a videoconference about the cruise collection. This parade which was to take place in Lecce, in Puglia, in Italy, on May 9 had been, at the very beginning of the confinement, postponed sine die like all the other demonstrations of fashion. The house on avenue Montaigne thus creates surprise by announcing that it will unveil this collection in the conditions of a real show but without audience, on July 22 at 9 p.m. still in Lecce, in the magnificent Piazza del Duomo.
“ For Maria Grazia and me, luxury means emotion and nothing can replace the emotion of a fashion show, with the decor, the music, the story told by the clothes, this adrenaline that pushes the limits of creativity until the deadline, this electricity that makes us vibrate (...) , explains in the preamble Mr. Beccari. This parade is also a message of support, hope, optimism, rebirth after this terrible period, especially for the fashion family. We thought of the big players in the sector but also the smallest, the craftsmen in France and Italy. Since March, many have seen their orders canceled and do not know how to survive. We wanted to give them reason to hope and allow them to get back on track with this collection, which is as large as usual, in all categories. I am also thinking of the other professions linked to fashion shows, models, make-up artists, hairdressers and producers who have been shut down for all these weeks and who will be able to contribute at this time. "
The pair at the head of the house being Italian, it was important to them to orchestrate this event in Puglia as initially planned. “ This is the first time that Dior has organized a show of this magnitude in Italy. We were committed to the people of the region and we want to support Puglia particularly affected by the health crisis and now by the economic crisis , he continues. When we announced the postponement of this cruise parade, many thought it would never take place. But we said to the craftsmen - weavers, ceramists, carpenters, etc. -, to the artists, to the musicians, involved in this project to continue working, that we would end up seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. This show is a tribute to their passion and devotion. "
Pietro Beccari and Maria Grazia Chiuri Dior
" This parade in Puglia is dear to me, since it is the region where my father was born and I would like to dedicate this cruise to this man who left us and who always taught me to believe in myself and to believe in the future, ”adds Maria Grazia Chiuri, visibly very touched by the holding of this presentation in her native country. A video reveals the first images of craftsmen from Puglia collaborating on the future event. “ I feel responsible as the artistic director of a house like Dior. It's a big company, we are 7000 employees, and we have so many suppliers working. I started working in fashion at a very young age, many suppliers have become friends. So yes I feel responsible but I am also happy to be able to reinvent our way of doing things. "
Pietro Beccari did not fail to draw a parallel with the founding history of Dior. “ Mr. Dior created his house on the ruins of war, it is in our genes. And it is emblematic that it is Dior who gets up after this crisis and sounds the recovery . ”
" Only unlike the New Look in 1947, I do not want to offer a single silhouette, but more possibilities to speak to all women ", smiles Ms. Chiuri who defines this collection in three words: " Community, inclusiveness and craftsmanship " .
To the question of haute couture programmed as part of Digital Fashion Week in Paris, on July 6, Mr. Beccari kicks in touch: " It will not be a parade broadcast live, it will be different, Maria Grazia had a excellent idea. We have another surprise for you, but in line with Mr. Dior's work. Poetry, dream which is the word of Christian Dior. "With regard to the spring-summer 2021 fashion show which will take place in September, the president recalled the brand's attachment to Paris:" We will follow the Fashion Week calendar, we are eagerly awaited. It is a very important meeting to preserve our traditions and the business. Maria Grazia Chiuri adds: " It is important to remember that Fashion Week is vital not only for the fashion industry but also for our cities. "