Dior enlists new crop of artists for Lady Dior collaboration

January 14, 2019

Artist Li Shurui was one of 11 women that worked on the latest Lady Dior campaign. Image credit: Dior

French fashion label Dior is taking a feminine approach to its recurring Lady Dior Art campaign, choosing only to collaborate with women artists this time around.

In each iteration, Dior asks creatives to conceive their own versions of the iconic Lady Dior top-handle handbag. In a move emphasizing creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri’s commitment to bringing feminism to fashion, the label enlisted solely women artists for this campaign.

Works of art
Dior worked with 11 women from around the world for this campaign, and is sharing their work through social media and other digital efforts.

For instance, Japanese artist Haruka Kojin is featured on Instagram explaining how her work with lenses inspired her to add crystalline embellishments to metallic leather Lady Dior bags. Her interpretation of the handbags plays with themes of distortion and perspective.

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Employing the color gold widely throughout the entirety her extensive output, Colombian artist Olga de Amaral turned to this evocation of the precious metal when it came to conceiving the ‘Lady Dior’ bags that provided her contribution to the #DiorLadyArt project whose women-only participation was instigated by #MariaGraziaChiuri.
A post shared by Dior Official (@dior) on Jan 11, 2019 at 5:18am PST

Dior is unveiling individual designs on Instagram

French artist Morgane Tschiember actually took inspiration from an erotic Japanese knotwork, known as shibari. Ms. Tschiember’s creations emphasize the suppleness of the handbag that is contorted by ropes.

Some of the women even turned to alternative materials to create their Lady Dior designs.

Colombian Olga de Amaral incorporated gold leaf, a material used throughout her work, into the cotton and linen she used. Tube embroidery also gives the handbags more dimension and reflects light in a unique way.

Chinese artist Li Shurui used 3D-printed synthetic leather in her designs, creating a unique embossed texture. As Ms. Shurui explains in an Instagram video for Dior, her handbags “demonstrate the extreme digital context of the world in which we live.”

Polly Apfelbaum shares the process behind her unique Lady Dior handbags

American Polly Apfelbaum based her work for Dior on prints and patchwork along with founder Christian Dior’s origins as a gallerist. Geometric shapes made of leather and cotton embroidery adorn her two Lady Dior interpretations.

In the 2017 edition of this project, 10 artists were invited by the brand to create their own versions of the Lady Dior style, each with their own story of inspiration (see story).

Feminine fashions
Dior and Ms. Chiuri continue to draw inspiration from the strength of women and their unique perspectives, as reflected in recent efforts.

The label based its upcoming spring/summer collection designs from the art of dance, but is taking the concept one step further with a campaign story that comes from inside the body.

Debuted at its spring/summer 2019 ready-to-wear runway show in September 2018, Dior showcased its collection with a powerful dance performance. Dior is extending the dance theme into its spring campaign with a series of content that captures a celebration of the body (see story).

The fashion house also elaborated on the Mexican inspiration for its 2019 cruise collection by putting local photographers in front of the camera.

Eight Mexican women photographed the collection in their native country for a feature in DiorMag, and the brand shared their stories and heritage in an Instagram series.

Among the Mexican photographers who participated in this project are Tania Franco Klein, Fabiola Zamora, Maya Goded, Paola Vivas and Cristina De Middel (see story).

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Dior enlists new crop of artists for Lady Dior collaboration

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