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Reimaginings: Dior’s Medallion Chairs debut in the US

Dior Presents the Dior Medallion Chair Exhibition at Superblue Miami.

Ma Yansong’s reinterpretation of Dior Medallion Chair ©Ken Ngan

Dior Maison invited seventeen artists to reinterpret one of its iconic emblems: the Medallion Chair. A symbol of Louis XVI style that fashion designer Christian Dior chose as soon as he founded his luxury fashion House, in order to seat guests at his fashion shows in a “sober, simple and above all classic and Parisian” décor, as he recounted in his memoirs. The essential oval surmounted by a fontanges bow became one of the major codes of 30 Avenue Montaigne, the beating heart of Dior. Today, Sam Baron, Nacho Carbonell, Pierre Charpin, Dimorestudio, Khaled El Mays, Martino Gamper, Constance Guisset, India Mahdavi, nendo, Joy de Rohan Chabot, Linde Freya Tangelder, Atang Tshikare, Seungjin Yang, Ma Yansong, Jinyeong Yeon, Tokujin Yoshioka and Pierre Yovanovitch offer their visions and artistic and cultural sensibilities to reconceive this object of desire with boundless creativity.

On the occasion of Design Miami and Art Basel, legendary fashion house Dior makes a splash with the US debut of its Medallion Chair Exhibition, featuring reinterpretations of the chair.

The exhibition takes place in Superblue, Miami’s lauded new experiential art venue—which is, notably, the same space in which Dior presented its Pre-Fall 2020 men’s collection, prior to Superblue’s opening. The US debut is the follow-up to the exhibition’s launch during Milan Design Week earlier this year, which was staged in a mist-filled interior room and garden of the 18th century Palazzo Citterio in Brera.

The designers’ reimaginings are wonderfully eclectic: Ma Yansong designed his windswept-looking chairs to appear as though they are “traveling through time;” Sam Baron, meanwhile, reinterpreted the chair as an outdoor swing, a rocking chair, and a bench, resulting in “piece[s] that celebrate gathering and conviviality.”

India Mahdavi’s pattern-rich designs were envisioned as a family or tribe of sorts, and produced using Indian textile techniques from Kashmir, while Atang Tskhikare’s chair was handmade in collaboration with Xhosa craftswomen and features intricate beadwork.

Linde Freya Tangelder of Destroyers/Builders found inspiration in the original chair’s soft curves, which “remind me of sanded glass, shaped by the sea;” her elegant, aluminum “Sage” chair—which is first CNC-milled, then assembled and welded before being hand-brushed by the designer—intends to“explore silver in all its subtleties.” And Seungjin Yan’s delightful “Blowing Series” chairs were molded over balloons using epoxy resin.

Khaled El Mays’ reinterpretation of the Medallion Chair. Photo ©Tanya Traboulsi | Nendo’s reinterpretation of the Medallion Chair. Photo © Yuto Kudo
Joy de Rohan Chabot’s handcrafted reinterpretation of the Medallion Chair. Photos © Marion Berrin
Sam Baron’s reinterpretation of the Medallion Chair. Photo © Marion Berrin
Sam Baron’s reinterpretation of the Medallion Chair. Photo © Marion Berrin
Seungjin Yang. Image courtesy: Sungmin Kim
Pierre Yovanovitch reinterpretation of Dior Medallion Chair 2021. Image courtesy: Marion Berrin

Dior’s 3D printed Eco-structure houses a unique pop-up store

Christian Dior Couture teams with WASP for unique concept store.

@DIOR DUBAI x @WASP POP UP; photos: © Mohamed Somji

On Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach stands a unique Dior installation composed of two circular modules. The fascinating architectural innovation houses a Dior pop-up store. These innovative spaces were crafted from natural materials –combining clay, sand and rawfibers –using an exceptional 3D printing system designed by WASP. The Eco-pop-up shop was 3D printed in 120 hours.

In a premiere, the French luxury house has designed a habitable structure in proportions never seen before. The cannage motif, a key House code for Dior, is revealed on the walls of this ephemeral boutique. Inside, creations celebrating the gentle life –notably from the Dioriviera women’s collection designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri – were revealed by turn in acidic hues.

@3dwasp
DIOR DUBAI x WASP POP UP; photos: © Mohamed Somji

The continually reinvented Dioriviera summer capsule by Maria Grazia Chiuri is like an invitation to escape. Plays on House codes – from toile de Jouy to the Dior Oblique motif – illuminate women’s ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes and accessories with punchy chartreuse and raspberry, pop punctuations from the Fall 2021 collection.

Iconic bags, such as the Dior Book Tote and the Dior Caro, mingle with the latest additions to the Dior 2022 cruise line, such as the Lady Dior in the horizontal East-West format and the Lady Dior Wicker baskets. Also on display are Dior Maison essentials including deckchairs, parasols, cushions and bottles adorned with Dior’s iconic Toile de Jouy print. The emblematic design also features on the lounge chairs facing this audacious showcase that carries the promise of a dreamy interlude.

@DIOR DUBAI x @WASP POP UP; photos: © Mohamed Somji
@DIOR DUBAI x @WASP POP UP; photos: © Mohamed Somji

WASP’s 3D printed Eco-structure was made using Crane WASP The Infinity 3d printer, a modular collaborative 3D printing system. Crane WASP reinterprets the classic building cranes from a digital manufacturing point of view. It is composed of a main printer unit that can be assembled in different configurations depending on the printing area and therefore on the dimensions of the architectural structure to be calculated in 3d. The print area of the single module is 6.60 meters in diameter for a height of 3 meters.

The single module can work self-sufficiently by printing fluids of different kinds: cement, bio cement, natural dough. Once you have a single module, you can expand it by adding traverses and printer arms, thus generating an infinite digital manufacturing system.

It is not necessary to “cover” the entire area involved in the construction with the printing area of the WASP Cranes because they can be reconfigured and can advance with generative attitude depending on the growth and shape of the building. More WASP Cranes, when working together, have a potentially infinite printing area and can be set by the on-site operators following the evolution of the architectural project.

Dior concept store (80 sq.m.) on Nammos Beach, Jumeirah, Dubai is open until 22 March 2022.

@DIOR DUBAI x @WASP POP UP; photos: © Mohamed Somji
@DIOR DUBAI x @WASP POP UP; photos: © Mohamed Somji

 

Internationally-renowned women artists propose a contemporary interpretation of the mythic Miss Dior

 

Staying true to the couturier’s passion for art and women, which never ceased to inspire his creativity, the House of Dior has brought twelve women from theinternational art scene together for an exceptional carte blanche exhibition, inviting them to express their vision of the iconic Miss Dior bottle, its spirit and its emblematic design codes.

© ARR

Christian Dior celebrates iconic Miss Dior perfume at Château de la Colle Noire.

Christian Dior designed this peaceful haven nestled in the Provençal hills as a work of art in itself, graced by a thousand jasmine and may rose flowers, inspiring the legendary Miss Dior perfume. “Miss Dior was born,” the couturier once said, “of those evenings in Provence, alive with fireflies, where young jasmine plays a descant to the melody of the night and the land.”

An ode to love and beauty, Miss Dior embodies the aesthete designer’s vision as he conceived the New Look silhouette in the 1950s. He dreamed, he said, of“seeing all the gowns appear one by one from the bottle, dressing women in a trail of desire.” The ardent green chypre floral accord he created heightens the sensuality and essence of femininity. Before it became a signature scent, the delicate fragrance was first an homage to the couturier’s sister, Catherine Dior, a discreet woman who led an exceptional life.

photos @instagram.com/dior/

Parfums Christian Dior celebrates the passion the designer and founder of the French luxury Maison had for art and women in the new Miss Dior exhibition, which debuted on October 15 at the Château de la Colle Noire, near Grasse. Twelve famous women artists reveal theri interpretation of the legendary Miss Dior perfume.

The exhibition continues the intimate dialogue Christian Dior always had with art, culture and women, who he strived to make more beautiful and happier with his creations. The Château de la Colle Noire and its gardens – a serene rural retreat for the designer, far from the bustling frenzy of Paris – now welcome carte blanche pieces by twelve women artists. Visitors can admire the work of Ingrid Donat, Sabine Marcelis, Hua Wang, Mimosa Echard, Bianca Beck, Marcella Barceló, Pia Maria Raeder, Morgane Tschiember, Bethan Laura Wood, Anya Kielar, Daishi Luo and Haruka Kojin.

French artist Ingrid Donat created a frosted glass bottle encased by a bronze shell, like a delicate object protected by a shield. This piece speaks about a woman in all her strength and fragility. It is a tribute to Catherine Dior, the inspiration behind the Miss Dior fragrance and who, in her opinion, embodies strength, courage and delicateness.

German sculptor Pia Maria Raeder seeks to translate her admiration and abstract interpretation of nature in her work. She pays tribute to Christian Dior who was also very much inspired by nature. She celebrates the beauty you can find on the ocean floor with a sculpture representing the famous “New Look” silhouette.

Chinese artist Daishi Luo played with apparent contradictions with this piece – the softness of the pink-colored metal and the houndstooth pattern which looks like a mechanical pixel grid. She wanted to convey that Miss Dior is both soft and powerful.

For her sculpture, Spanish artist Marcella Barceló imagined that the Miss Dior fragrance had come to life and turned into incense and flowers, from which a young girl springs up, in reference to Alice In Wonderland.

Maison Christian Dior also continues to promote the empowerment of women by supporting the youth education initiative led by Charlize Theron. The videos #diorstandwithwomen and #diorchinup feature interviews with passionate and influential women and their accomplishments in the face of hard challenges.

Artist @Daishi Luo for Miss Dior 2021; photos @instagram.com/dior/
photos @instagram.com/dior/
Pia Maria Raeder for Miss Dior 2021; photos @instagram.com/dior/
Artist @marcella.barcelo for Miss Dior 2021; photos @instagram.com/dior/

A one-way trip to Planet Dior with contemporary artist Kenny Scharf

 

 

Fall 2021 Dior Men’s Collection; @Dio

Dior translated fantastical Kenny Scharf cartoon characters into glowing playful prints.

For Fall 2021, Kim Jones, Artistic Director of Dior Men’s collection, shares a wave of optimism, drawing inspiration from the pop universe of American contemporary artist Kenny Scharf. Featuring bright day-glow colors, the resolutely playful collection is an invitation to a one-way trip to Planet Dior. Thomas Vanz’s colorful ink and glitter videos created a magical galaxy as the backdrop for Kim Jones’ silhouettes for Dior Menswear.

Fall 2021 Dior Men’s Collection; @Christian Dior

Welcome to a virtual world where everything becomes possible.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Csl9RePLxKc

At the crossroads of pop culture and science fiction

Dior Men’s collaboration with artist Kenny Scharf punctuates the collection in the form of hyper colorful prints that light up everything from outerwear to iconic ‘Saddle’ bags, with a focus on Chinese culture and artistry – an original inspiration for Christian Dior himself – expressed in zodiac animal motifs and elaborate embroideries. Simultaneously a springboard for the dynamic evolution of the luxury House’s traditional tailoring expertise, the collection was presented in a surreal scenography that pulsed with fantastical astrological imagery by Thomas Vanz.

A huge fan of science-fiction and street art who is famous for characters that seem to have jumped straight out of cartoons, Kenny Scharf infuses his work with humor.

“When we started the collection we were coming out of the first lockdown and I wanted to spread some joy, happiness and hope,” says Kim Jones, Artistic Director of Dior Men’s collections in an exclusive video presenting the expertise that went into his Fall 2021 collection.

Kenny Scharf loves the clash of colors – yellow and purple, orange and blue, red and green. “When you take the happy and sad opposites and put them together, it creates the tension and excitement that I love,” the artist said in a statement.

Scharf’s bright-hued mélanges appear in the dyed hair of models as well as the scenography by French director Thomas Vanz, who avows a fascination with astrophysics.

In an homage to the iconic Dior Bar, jackets are belted at the waist over pants cropped above the ankle. The New Look for outer space is embellished with chrysanthemum blooms as boutonnieres, created specially by Maison Lemarié.

Dior Ateliers translated Kenny Scharf’s works into prints, fusing them with the famous Dior Oblique motif and appropriating them for embroidery executed using traditional Chinese techniques. China also inspired new drawings by the artist denoting Chinese zodiac animal characters printed on sweaters, as well as stunning jade jewelry by Yoon Ahn. Tamborin-style berets – a favorite of Christian Dior – were designed by Stephen Jones and embroidered in China. Thousands of tiny pearls and stitches were embroidered using a centuries-old Chinese technique to meticulously reproduce the fantastical Kenny Scharf cartoon characters curated by Kim Jones.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bCW0NHoVtI4

Fall 2021 Dior Men’s Collection; @Christian Dior
Fall 2021 Dior Men’s Collection; @Christian Dior
Fall 2021 Dior Men’s Collection; @Christian Dior