LVMH 2019 . LV M H s t o r i e s
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D I O R The Cr u ise col lection travels to Mar ra kesh
Dior s Creative Director of womenswear, Maria Grazia Chiuri, has always had her heart set on forging creative dialogue with African cultures. Above all, she has longed to commune with the land- scapes and folklore of Morocco, a historic crossroads between the Mediterranean, Europe and Africa, and the dream destination of artists, poets, writers and eternal adventurers. Presenting the 2020 Cruise collection in Marrakesh was a way to pay tribute to the Maison s herit- age and that of Christian Dior s first successor, Yves Saint Laurent, a native of the Algerian port city of Oran who was fascinated by Morocco. This show also illustrated the notion of a common ground where, in spite of their differ- ences, women can build concrete connections by sharing ideas and taking action together. The collection, which unfurled like a map of the world, blends the images and atmospheres that have fashioned visual culture on that side of the Mediterranean. Its initial inspiration and flag of pride, is wax print cloth. The incred- ible history of this fabric celebrates diversity and the meet- ing of cultures. The Maison collaborated with the Uniwax factory and design studio in Abidjan (one of the last facto- ries that still produces wax fabric using traditional meth- ods) to reinterpret Dior s hallmarks by weaving them into this signature fabric, in a special edition. New, revisited wax- print Toile de Jouy designs were the fruit of this collabora- tion, featuring rich landscapes and reworked tarot motifs. Like all the pieces in the collection, the Bar jacket exalts the power of fashion as an inclusive, transnational lan- guage. But the collection also emphasizes the power of nature by using ecru silk, silk gauze and shantung in sandy shades, indigo blue and burnt ochre red to adorn coats, tailored jackets, pleated skirts and pants. Through these cultural conversations, the 2020 Cruise collection reminds us that fashion itself is a uniquely interwoven part of our heritage, inspired by countless places and periods throughout history. The collection, which maps out an imaginary landscape of cultures and emotions, is enriched by other creative collaborations that exalt Dior s hallmarks into a fugue of interweaving artistic dialogue.
