A Collective Weave

A collective weave

Each cruise collection offers Maria Grazia Chiuri a chance to initiate a fertile, ever-renewed cultural dialogue about exceptional savoir-faire. Unveiled in Mexico city, the Dior cruise 2024 line continues this approach by reflecting the multiple specificities of the Mexican artisanal context. A dream itinerary through the heart of the country’s various regions. By Lucie Alexandre.

Convinced of the need to preserve ancestral techniques and safeguard the cultural practices behind fabrics, Maria Grazia Chiuri invited curator Circe Henestrosa, an expert on Frida Kahlo and Mexican savoir-faire, to identify and bring together artisans from various regions of Mexico. With its vast, diverse territory, the country is home to numerous communities whose identity is shaped by their textile and sartorial traditions. Conceived as a genuine framework for research – a terrain for the in-depth study of artisanal customs – the Dior cruise 2024collection creates a space for exploring and presenting a series of projects by several indigenous societies.

Though the stages of this collaboration mix heterogeneous kinds of savoir-faire, its genesis is universal and more essential than ever. Artisans from different backgrounds seem to bond over a common desire: to share their art, so that it transcends borders and generations. Mexican pride shines in their work, a means of communicating personal stories, beliefs and viewpoints.

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“Textiles
represent identity, the cosmovision of original peoples and a second skin for our roots.”

– Remigio Mestas

The first destination on this initiatory journey is the Yolcentle atelier co-founded by Hilán Cruz Cruz, a Nahua weaver and student of anthropology. Born in Tlacomulco, Huauchinango, near Puebla, he became interested in the construction and symbolism of clothing at an early age. Family history bound him to textiles, and he inherited from his grandmother a taste and sensitivity for thread and fabric. For him, this material is a means of observing and understanding social mechanisms in his community. He blends his training as a craftsman and an anthropologist to highlight textiles’ various functions both within and outside his culture. The embroidery done at Yolcentle is called pepenado-hilván, a sophisticated technique that generates lines according to a number of stitches to signify animals, flowers, hills, constellations, mythical beings or humans. Everything is handmade: every stitch, every thread, every colour. The pieces are unique, embodying both a personal dimension and a collective sentiment. For the Dior cruise 2024 show, the atelier created a series of shirts and dresses.

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In 1976, in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, in Chiapas, some sixty craftspeople began working together for the association Sna Jolobil, meaning “the house of weaving” in the Tzotzil language. Headed by Pedro Meza, the company aims to perpetuate the living heritage of Mayan culture. By regrouping motifs from archaeological sites and devising a cooperative structure for marketing textiles, the entrepreneur has established himself as a pioneer in the preservation of artisanal handicrafts. For him, embroidery is a direct means of communication between his ancestors’ worldview and contemporary uses. His wish was to pay homage to previous generations while proposing a new style – combining past, present and future – for those of today. For the Dior cruise 2024 line, his atelier produced a traditional Pok’u’ul, also known as a gabán, a long square tunic usually worn by men from the Tzotzil communities of Zinacantán. Together with Maria Grazia Chiuri, they redesigned this iconic model to evoke the contours of the Bar jacket. They also dreamed up singular embroideries to adorn selected bags, playing on proportions and classic formats. An art of reinvention.

“Our work
expresses both a
communal and
personal feeling
in which
each piece is
unique and
unrepeatable.”

– Hilán Cruz Cruz

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A final stop in the Oaxaca region leads us to Remigio Mestas, a weaver by trade. Familiar with the specificities of the loom since childhood, he dedicated his life to learning and sharing knowledge about Oaxacan textiles. By opening a number of artisanal stores throughout the country, he made his name as one of the most influential and respected figures in the promotion and representation of savoir-faire in his native region. For him, textiles are precious objects that convey the essence and vision of indigenous peoples. Every day, he works to bring these virtuoso practices to light far beyond national borders. For the Dior cruise 2024 show, he supervised the creation of four traditional huipils, illustrating the unique weaving, dyeing and embroidery processes of native communities: the Zapotecs from the Isthmus of Tehuantepec, in San Blas Atempa; the Chinantecs from the Papaloapan basin, in San Juan Bautista Valle Nacional; and the Mazatecs from San Felipe Jalapa de Díaz, in the Chuparrosa region.

Beyond the visual character of the collection’s powerful cultural artifacts, such creative exchange fosters a collective approach and lets it shine. The transmission of gestures, motifs and values associated with clothing nourishes a shared vision of the future.

A pluralistic ode to an abundant craft heritage, and a celebration of Mexico.

“Embroidery is a means of direct communication between my ancestors’ vision of the world and today’s culture.”

– Pedro Meza

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