Dior Pre-Fall 2023: AA spotlightspotlight onon Indian ArtisansArtisans andand Chanakya

Dior’s latest collection celebrates the French fashion house’s long-standing relationship with Chanakya Atelier. As reported in Vogue, Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri worked in India long before her time at Dior. Thirty years ago, she began developing embroideries for Valentino from her hometown. This relationship has only grown since then. Chiuri has worked closely with the Chanakya School of Craft for the past few years. The non-profit was founded in 2017. It works to provide women with an exceptional education in hand embroidery. This is a cause that understandably resonated with the feminist designer. 

The Role of Embroidery for Dior

Chiuri has previously highlighted the work of Chanakya Atelier and the Chanakya School of Craft. In fact, she has collaborated with them on multiple occasions to assist with the backdrops for shows. This time, Chanakya’s embroidery constructed a beautiful 14-meter Toran. It “required 35,000 hours of handwork” and was also featured in the pieces in the show. Maria Grazia Chiuri took to Instagram to share:

Women in India have crafted Toran’s for centuries, decorating local fabric using embroidery and patchwork to welcome guests into their home. It has been a dream of mine to create a Toran for the show installation since I saw the one hanging at Nehal’s home in Mumbai. Seen as a symbolic ceremonial entrance to India, the Gateway and the Toran symbolise this intimate collaboration. They reference cross-cultural influences, heritage and traditions. Drawing on their own design vocabulary and each choosing which symbols of good fortune to integrate into the piece. The female artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft and the master artisans from the Chanakya Atelier handcrafted the Toran as a communal activity.

India’s influence on and involvement in this collection made Mumbai’s ‘Gateway of India’ a much more apt location for the show than its usual Paris setting.

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Indian Influences Mix with Classic Dior

The collection clearly went beyond simply incorporating Indian embroidery into Eurocentric pieces. While this season’s arsenal stayed true to Dior’s Parisian style, there were clear Indian influences throughout the designs, most notably in the accentuation of vertical lines. The collection featured an array of looks that had narrow column silhouettes. This shape appeared to be taking inspiration from traditional Indian modes of dress. The influence of long-line column shapes was particularly prominent in the various strapless gowns that practically followed a straight line to the floor rather than the usual ballroom silhouette. 

Another prominent reference to traditional Indian dress was how looks were layered. Many pieces featured long-line coats and jackets that appeared to mimic the proportions of a kurta. Similarly, the collection also featured collarless shirts. These seemed to take inspiration from traditional Indian menswear. 

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Dior Favourites

My favourite looks from the collection were the one-shouldered silk gowns gracing the runway, particularly Look 93. These pieces encapsulated the narrow vertical silhouettes that the Dior collection fixated on and felt like a contemporary twist on a sari. The asymmetrical shape may be something we regularly see in Western modes of dress. But in a collection that spotlighted and celebrated India’s vast contributions to the fashion industry, this felt like an essential nod to the sari’s beauty and cultural significance. 

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Tribute to a Long-Lasting Relationship

This collection attributed India’s importance to the textile and fashion industries. It accentuated Dior’s rich history with the country. Maria Grazia Chiuri has nurtured a long-lasting relationship with India’s textile industry. Similarly, Marc Bohan did so during his time at Dior. Bohan’s 1962 collection was shown in both Mumbai and Delhi. This collection spotlighted India’s contributions to fashion and acknowledged Dior’s history with the country. 

The excitement surrounding this collaboration did not end on the runway. To celebrate, Chanakya Atelier opened its doors to display 50 pieces it worked on with Dior for the first time. Maria Grazia Chiuri took to Instagram to share some images from the exhibition, captioning the post: 

The presentation also offers a glimpse into @chanakya.in‘s private collection of global embroidery artefacts highlighting this craft’s social, cultural and historical significance. I was so happy to walk through the exhibition with @karishmaswali77 and remember how every piece was born

Overall, the collection, runway show, and exhibition do exactly what Chiuri set out to achieve. They collaborate to highlight India’s significant contributions to the fashion and textile industries. Many designers utilise India’s textiles or hand embroidery and draw inspiration from their traditional modes of dress. Yet, they often fail to acknowledge the country from which they derive so much. Dior is actively working to end this.