DIOR FALL 2023, FROM PARIS TO MUMBAI

Every runway show is a story in itself, a tale of creativity, craft and human connections. The Dior Fall 2023 collection presented in Mumbai is a particularly compelling case in point. More than a fashion event, the show unfolded like a multidimensional landscape and a meeting of cultural heritages and savoir-faire. 

Designed in Paris and Mumbai, this extraordinary collection grew out of the longstanding friendship, professional collaborations and shared passion for craft between Maria Grazia Chiuri, Artistic Director for Dior Women’s collections, and Karishma Swali, the director of the Chanakya ateliers and the Chanakya School of Craft. The show brought Maria Grazia Chiuri an opportunity to reconnect with Mumbai, a city of a thousand contrasts and colors. The bond between Dior and the Indian metropolis is not recent, since Marc Bohan presented a hundred silhouettes there during his tenure as Dior creative director in the 1960s.  

A vibrant hub that counts both majestic temples and modern buildings, Mumbai offers an incredibly rich cultural kaleidoscope, as well as a superbly picturesque backdrop. Staged at the foot of the Gateway to India, the show on a memorable evening in April 2023 presented a remarkable conversation, bridging cultures and traditions. The runway at the iconic gateway was framed with a “toran”, a traditional Indian decorative piece for welcoming guests, expressing a centuries-old heritage passed on over generations of Indian women. The fruit of a collaboration between the Chanakya School of Craft —which pursues a mission of support, education and empowerment for large numbers of women while acting as a laboratory to explore craft— and the Chanakya ateliers, this monumental installation employed some 25 different craft techniques and took 35,000 hours to complete. The work celebrates India’s rich cultural diversity in all its splendor.  

The creative dialogue of the collection reflects this cultural harmony and pays tribute to a rich ancestral heritage, invaluable traditions and exceptional craft. The timeless forms of the clothes gave free rein to creativity, emphasizing the expert handwork of the artisans. Sari-inspired evening jackets and skirts with impeccable draping are crafted in silks using time-honored techniques. Straight pants and long skirts are decorated with pearls and sequins, evoking the embroideries with metallic threads and the innovative spirit of the ateliers.  Embroideries morphed into iridescent lace, while patchwork pieces were created with a hand-sewn appliqué process.  

Ebullient colors and fabrics celebrated the shared influences of Maria Grazia Chiuri and Karishma Swali, joined by an homage to Marc Bohan through silks in green, yellow, pink and purple shades. Embroidery was the foundation of the collection, recounting the multiple landscapes of India and the collaborative spirit that unites Dior, the Chanakya ateliers and the Chanakya School of Craft.   

In transforming fashion into a vehicle for creative expression able to tap into the feelings and emotions that connect us with a country and its culture, the two women offer a compelling portrait of diversity in applied arts craftwork, weaving a new genealogy of the ultimate wardrobe, a meeting of multiple and intertwined heritages.