“How did I get to know my friends? As we came from different backgrounds, we met purely by chance, or rather in obedience to those mysterious laws christened by Goethe with the name of elective affinities. (...) We were just a simple gathering of painters, writers, musicians and designers, under the aegis of Jean Cocteau and Max Jacob,” Christian Dior confided in his memoirs^*. An aesthete at heart, collector and gallery owner before becoming the master of elegance, the founding couturier forged precious friendships with the most emblematic artists of his time. These powerful, lasting ties today are perpetuated through various collaborations with talents from all over the world who cultivate the shared goal of celebrating and reinventing Dior’s unique and pluralistic heritage.

Inaugurated in March at the An Fine Art Gallery, right next to the Dior boutique in Union Square – the epicentre of fashion in Ho Chi Minh City – Lady Dior House offered a true immersion in the history of this legendary handbag and its striking metamorphoses. As a fascinating preamble, the visit opened with a marvellous installation, in which the Lady Dior blossomed in a multitude of vibrant shades. A fabulous introduction reflecting the infinite facets of this essential accessory that continued with a retrospective devoted to Dior Lady Art.

Since 2016, this unprecedented initiative has invited artists from around the world to rise to the challenge of reappropriating, reconsidering, transposing and sublimating this Dior symbol. Reinterpretations by Mircea Cantor, Jeffrey Gibson, Gilbert & George, Ha Chong-Hyun, Lee Kun-Yong, Mariko Mori, Ludovic Nkoth, Hilary Pecis, Mickalene Thomas, Zadie Xa, Michaela Yearwood-Dan and Xu Zhen – conceived for the project’s eighth edition – were revealed in this exhibition, set against a monochrome black décor enhanced by entrancing lighting effects.

The dreamlike odyssey continued through the works in Lady Dior As Seen By, a showcase for the conversations sparked by the House. Pushing the boundaries of the imagination, these exceptional creations formed an eclectic panorama of the contemporary art scene, transcending disciplines and genres from photography to sculpture. 

For Lady Dior House, the Vietnamese artists Tia-Thuy Nguyen and Bui Cong Khanh shared their singular, passionate interpretations of this object of desire, which became like a blank canvas, the repository of their respective visions. 

A must-see rendezvous, a virtuoso tribute to excellence, whose next stop was in Singapore from July 18^th through August 11^th.

The Lady Dior: The Incarnation of Excellence in Savoir-faire

The expression of elegance, the Lady Dior concentrates the House’s excellence of savoir-faire. From timeless models to the most singular contemporary variations, each piece requires exceptional craftsmanship at every stage of its creation. In a captivating choreography of infinitely meticulous gestures, the material is carefully selected, then cut, using patterns; no less than 32 elements make up the bag. Then comes the cannage ­– an eternal Dior code, inseparable from this iconic accessory – which is precisely stitched onto the leather to further accentuate and enhance the Lady Dior’s architectural allure. The handles are then mounted entirely by hand, just as assembly is accomplished using a custom-designed wooden form. Eyelets and rivets reflect the art of detail, while charms spelling out “Dior” in an ultra-modern reinterpretation give this object of desire an added touch of refinement.

Season after season, these techniques are reinvented under the guidance of Maria Grazia Chiuri, as well as through works by numerous artists – at the heart of the Dior Lady Art project in particular, representing multi-faceted challenges that result in extraordinary feats that push back the limits of innovation and inventiveness. From painting to sculpture, embroidery to 3D printing, each of these creations embodies the marvellous encounter between Dior’s heritage and audacity in all its forms.