Christian Dior, founder of the eponymous fashion house, was born in a seaside town on the coast of Normandy, France called Granville, on 21st January 1905. Dior started out as the owner of an art gallery, and in 1939 served as an officer in World War II. After the war he became an assistant to designer Robert Piquet.

Dior Haute Couture

During the spring of 1947, Dior’s eye for exceptional quality and luxury did not go unnoticed. With the help of a friend named Marcel Boussac, who owned a struggling clothing company, and with access to an unlimited amount of high quality , luxurious fabrics, Dior launched the house of Dior whose dresses with voluminous skirts resembled old-fashioned roses turned upside down. Long skirts with tiny waists returned elegance, beauty and femininity to the ladies of Paris. It was at this time that the first Miss Dior Perfum was unveiled.

Dior – 1950’s Movie Stars’ Favourite Designer

Dior attracted several assistants such as Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Cardin during the 1950’s, and within nine weeks of his death in 1957 Yves Saint Laurent launched the first Christian Dior collections, now designed with much softer lines and considerably easier to wear. In the spring of 1960 Yves Saint Laurent was called up to join the French army which forced him to leave the House of Dior. In the late 1960s he was replaced by Marc Bohan who continued producing elegant clothing and became partitularly popular with prominent social figures such as Elizabeth Taylor.

Time for Change with Miss Dior

During the 1960s many changes took place, such as the launch of the ladies perfume “Diorling”, and the men’s fragrance “Eau Savage” was released. Bohan’s assistant Phillippe Guibourge launched their very first ready-to-wear collection call ‘Miss Dior’, and later knitwear and fashion furs were also introduced.

Christian Dior Complete Look

In 1984, Bernard Arnolt took control over Christian Dior, and in 1996 John Gilliano was appointed Lead Designer to inject some fresh life back into Dior. Success within the luxury jewellery market was made possible by Artistic Director Victoire Castellane, who launched the new Dior Haute Joaillerie in 2001. At this time Dior’s sales climbed to a staggering 350 million. Bill Gaytten was appointed as head designer as an interim measure for just 13 months; on the 11th April 2012, Belgian designer Raf Simons was announced as the new artistic director of Christian Dior.

Dior -Still leading the way in Fashion

Today, the company designs and offers ready to wear Haute Couture Clothing from high quality retailers. This season’s fashion follows the lines of Christian Dior’s very first collection.