Christian Dior — The End of A War & Start of a Fashion Revolution
Christian Dior began something new after the ravages of World War II. He pushed the fashion industry, businesses and society to re-think fashion, branding and supply chain management. Actually, he founded the philosophy of companies seeing themselves as a brand experience versus just a product. Some of the best and most notable adopters of his lessons are Steve Jobs of Apple, Marc Benioff of Salesforce and Dr. Dre.
The Royal Ontario Museum, seen as Canada’s national museum, with the leadership of Josh Basseches, asks the question how, with relevancy and trust in the 21st century, do museums collaborate and share their collections with us. Under the dutiful eye of Dr. Alexandra Palmer we get to experience and learn more than just the obvious of a seeing a fashion icon products displayed. I was given a personal tour by Dr. Palmer of this exhibit and though I do not find fashion interesting, I found her findings and perspectives fun, interesting and worth sharing.
Starting with the industrial revolution around the 1860’s clothes for the masses were seen more than just as a utility. Seasonal fashions became a thing. Eventually, a syndicate or membership of fashion leaders was created in Paris called the Chambre Syndical de la Haute Couture was created. As Dr. Palmer explained, they became the arbiters of fashion taste, quality and direction. A fashion house could not use the title of producing couture fashion without a membership to this syndicate. It was a tight members club. France, post World War II, created opportunities for visionaries in many industries, Christian Dior captured and lead the fashion for 10 years until his passing in 1957.
With the backing of a textile French industrialist, Marcel Boussac, Dior decided to break the coulture mold and created the Christian Dior brand in 1946. Dr. Palmer explanined This suit was Dior’s first couture piece offered for sale in 1946. The non-utility extra layers and uses of fabric, long length, soft shoulders, and synced waist broke the mold of fashion. Frankly, I could women wearing this today. This piece was the opposite of France recovering from a decade of war. Dior created his coulture house by painting it in bright colours. This was the first step in creating a Dior image. For war torn France, a brightly painted house was a standout.
Dior was a control freak of his brand from the image, accessories, smell, feel etc. Very much like Steve Jobs focus on the aesthetics and feel of a computer or smartphone. As time progressed, Dior created a supply chain marvel of button makers, weavers, printers etc. outsourced all over the world. He controlled the licensing and marketing globally a concept mirrored today by all fashion houses.
This was one of the last pieces Dior created just before his death in 1967. I didn’t understand the big deal about the design of this dress. Dr. Palmer explained it was about the flow and gravity of the fabric within the ability of a woman to move gracefully and comfortably. Clothes were meant to show power. Compare to the fast fashion of today (e.g. H&M, UniGlow and Forever21), Dior wanted permanence and elegance at the same time. There is more power in slowing things down than employing a FOMO approach to everything.
Bottom line, I came away tour of the Dior ROM exhibit that Dior exposed the modern entrepreneur or corporation that your brand must embody an experience and philosophy for customers to consistently enjoy it. Even little details like the smell, design and flow of accessories need to follow the brand philosophy. Cheapen the small stuff and eventually the big stuff will follow that same bad pattern. Great exhibit. See it.
