In this week’s designer profile, we will be checking out the creative director of Dior, Maria Grazia Churi, and her design evolution.
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Maria Grazia Churi is the current creative director of Dior and she has worked with different fashion houses before being employed by the French fashion house in 2016.
Maria Churi was born on the 2nd of February 1964 in Rome, Italy. Her mother was a dressmaker while her father was in the military. However, her mother pushed her to study. Maria studied at IED, Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome which served as an advantage in her career.
Maria Grazia Churi joins Dior
In 1989, Maria Grazia Chiuri joined the Italian fashion house Fendi where she designed handbags for the fashion house. While working as a bag designer for the fashion house Maria developed the famous Baguette bag for the fashion house in 1997. She also recruited her friend designer Pierpaolo Piccioli to join the Fendi bag department.
In 1999, she proceeded to join the Italian fashion house Valentino and was responsible for the fashion house accessories lines. This came after she rejected the proposal from the house of Dior to be in charge of their handbag line. In 2008, Maria was promoted to the co-Artistic Director of the brand, alongside Pier Paolo Piccioli after Valentino Garavani retired.
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Although her beginning as the co-Artistic Director of the fashion house was quite difficult, the Roman fashion house evolved after a few years under her reign. Her collections are characterized by an “Italian style, romantic and precious”.
In 2008, Maria and Piccioli were named co-creative directors of Valentino 2008 overseeing full artistic direction for the brand including Womenswear, Menswear & Haute Couture.
In 2016 Sidney Toledano appointed Churi the, artistic director of the women’s collections of Christian Dior. This makes her the first woman to hold the position since the creation of the brand in 1946. Her first collection for Dior is characterized by its minimalism and feminist claims.
Maria Churi’s work is often described as youthful, and she cites her daughter Rachele Regini as a muse.
Dior Haute Couture Fall Winter Collection
Her recent collection for the Dior fashion house was debuted during the Paris Haute fashion week. The collection drew inspiration from folklore traditions that draw together all cultures. According to Maria, the creative director of the fashion house, the collection is an ode to craftsmanship and the tradition that we all share. Below are some of the Dior fall winter couture collection:
Photo credit: Pinterest
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