The name Christian Dior is considered by
many to be the most recognized name in Fashion. Christian Dior was born in 1905 in the small town of Granville in Normandy , France . Dior
spent some time as an artist and launched a gallery in 1928, with generous
financing by his father.
Hard times were just around the corner
though. The Great Depression resulted in the bankruptcy of the family business,
forcing them to sell virtually everything they owned. Dior moved in with a
friend and soon began directing his attention to the Fashion Industry.
After being discharged from army service in
1940, he returned to Paris
in 1941 and secured employment with the Fashion House of Lucien Lelong.
In 1946 Marcel Boussac, the richest man in
the France at the time, provided substantial financial backing for Dior to
launch his own Fashion House. Dior's first clothing line released in 1947 was
an overwhelming success, winning favour for the designer, both in Europe and
the distant USA .
Not surprisingly, in 1949 Dior established
a presence in New York and soon expanded again
to London in
1952. Wider global expansion followed shortly after.
In 1948 Dior launched a perfume line under
the name of Christian Dior Parfumes Ltd. While a 1950 decision to expand the
brand into fashion accessories like hats, ties and handbags was unpopular in
the French Chamber of Couture, this move remains aa a major cornerstone of the
Company's present day success.
Dior was preparing for retirement when a
heart attack took his life in 1957.
In the chaos that followed, the fairly
inexperienced Yves Saint Laurent was promoted to the position of lead designer
for the Company. Saint Laurent
met with mixed success before military service forced him to leave Dior. His successor,
Marc Bohan, would remain with the company until 1989. Bohan is credited in many
circles with the rescue of the Dior brand.
The Boussac group, which was still in
financial control of the Dior Fashion Fouse, declared bankruptcy around 1984.
Dior was then acquired by a group of investors led by Bernard Arnault. Arnault
took an active part in the direction Dior would take over the next few decades.
In 2001 the company decided to enter the
men's fashion market, and their first show led by the talents of former Yves
Saint Laurent designer Hedi Slimane was a huge triumph! Despite some ups and
downs over the years, Dior is still considered as one of the most popular and
innovative Fashion Houses in the world.