Dior's new collection to debut in Mumbai

On March 30 next year, Maria Grazia Chiuri will present the Pre-Fall 2023 collection for Dior at the historic Gateway of India Monument in Mumbai. It will be the French maison's first major event in the country, but the fourth destination show under the creative director's stewardship. A choice that on one hand has a celebratory purpose, glorifying India's millennial craft tradition, and on the other aims to strengthen ties with Indian customers, who will account for 25-30 billion euros in sales by 2030 as China retreats, up from 8 billion euros last year, establishing itself as a new driving force for the fashion industry. «Showing in India for me also means celebrating the Indian heritage of embroidery and its importance in the fashion world» Chiuri told BoF.

In recent years, Dior's parent company LVMH has opened many of its French ateliers to the public through a program called Journées Particulières, and Chiuri said she wanted to bring this idea to «another very important country in the fashion system». The focus on global craftsmanship is part of Chiuri's recipe for success and of the house itself, the designer has worked with local artisans around the world to inspire them and even produce limited-edition garments. She has held shows in Morocco, Greece and Spain, much to the chagrin of those who have pointed out the environmental controversies associated with such events, but without triggering the same controversy that Chanel has generated for its own event in Senegal.

The collection, which will be in shops from the end of April, includes sari-inspired silk dresses, coats and skirts that reference traditional Indian silhouettes and are embellished with intricate embroidery by Chanakya, a Mumbai-based women's atelier and craft school headed by Karishma Swali, who has supplied ornaments and textiles to numerous luxury brands over the years, as well as monumental works for some of Chiuri's Paris fashion shows. The collaboration with Chanakya reflects Chiuri's mission to transform Dior into a brand that is not only feminine in its sensibility but also feminist in its values. The Chanakya School of Craft's mission to equip women from low-income backgrounds with the skills they need to make a living in the industry is closely aligned with the feminist message of Dior's first female creative director: «It's really a sisterhood project.»