Tag Archives: Dior

The Importance of A Brand’s Archive

Fashion, one day you are in, the next you are out and sometimes you might also make a comeback. Fashion archives tell the history of where the brand comes from and are often a reference for designers to remember the brand’s identity and create updated versions of the pieces.

*Dior Archive Exhibition. Image: World Architecture Community*

Ongoing movement to match modern relevance in fashion

Luxury fashion brands have established various uses for archival fashion pieces. They were mostly stored away for safekeeping; brands like Dior kept their archival garments starting from the 1980s in dress storage. The Parisian brand utilised the archive as a resource for the design department and a space for educational purposes for internal staff, high-profile clients and fashion students. Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of Dior’s womenswear, has always immersed herself into the house’s archive for reference, aiming to recreate a modern Dior silhouette while sticking to the brand’s roots. By being relevant to the times, a renewed look from past collections allows fashion houses to showcase their rich history in fashion.

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Today, luxury brands are featuring these archival and past collection pieces on red carpet events such as the Met Gala, styling them with new pieces and new faces. Nicolas Ghesquière, the Artistic Director of Louis Vuitton’s womenswear, decided to have an array of ambassadors of the house adorned in the previously worn garments. Reintroducing past collection pieces, the merge between heritage and modern style on one of the biggest stages in the world act as a tool to push the ongoing movement of the archives with modern relevance. Another reason for reintroducing past looks could be a marketing effort of the brand to relook into the past, in remembrance of the heritage and craftsmanship that Louis Vuitton encapsulates.

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Burberry also featured a capsule of classic signatures in its collection reinterpreted by creative director, Riccardo Tisci. He referenced some of the silhouettes of the archives, especially one of the house icon, the trenchcoat while reconstructing and reimagining it for today. These archival references aim to elevate Burberry in newer ways of garment designs, assuring customers to spend and keep up with modern fashion while still embracing its heritage.

Keeping up with modern taste while preserving signatures

For many years, Coach has also debuted handbags reimagined from archival styles. It was once a leather workshop crafting wallets and billfolds but has transitioned to designing high quality handbags with the help of Bonnie Cashin. She has revolutionised the handbag’s design to progress with the times as the 60s was a pinnacle of evolution in fashion. Her archives of bags range from side pockets, coin purses, and bright colours.

*Coach vintage bags. Image: Yourgreatfinds*

A particular feature throughout the bag was the silver toggle that became the Coach hallmark. Coach constantly takes references from it past bags and reiterates the design keeping its signature feature while pushing for more relevance in this era, accommodating newer and younger spenders in the market. This outlines the significance of archives where newer pieces take reference from past statements and solidifying these classic signatures.

Showcasing archives at events

Social media darling and model Bella Hadid had the privilege to wear archival dresses recently and she aided the idea of the “old meets new” concept. At the 2022 Met Gala, she wore a Fall/Winter 2004 Jean Paul Gaultier dress, which the team allowed her to pick from its archives for the event. The archival piece caught the eyes of the media that subsequently created conversations across many social media platforms. The conversations gained traction and revived interest in the storied designer, who stood to gain a bigger customer base.

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Hadid also showed up at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival in a string of Versace‘s archival dresses from the 80s and 90s. The model enlisted the help of her stylist friend, Law Roach, who was in contact with the famed Donatella Versace and the designer opened up the brand’s archives for them. The brilliant gesture from Donatella promoted her late brother, Gianni Versace’s 1987 dress, on a new stage. It emphasised luxury vintage could be firmly relevant in today’s age of fashion economy, boosting greater awareness and widening its horizon of the newer consumer market. Furthermore, similar to Jean Paul Gaultier, these events promote talks on the revival of archives on stage that potentially boosts fashion brands’ awareness among newer audiences who might not have been born when these legendary designers ruled the runways.

With the media always spotlighting fashion styles at prominent events, it exposes the competition within brands and pushes fashion to a greater level, bringing in newer or perhaps never seen before looks. The power of the different usage of archives shifts how the market reacts to pieces and styles. This becomes engaging as we could visually connect to the way archival garments are shown, while brands could curate the future of fashion.

Efforts that conserve fashion archives

As we look further into how fashion has reinforced its role in modern culture, brands are thinking carefully about their archives. The fashion house, Paco Rabanne, disclosed they would sell NFTs of its most conceptual pieces and use the profits to fund its archive. This includes buying back archival garments, sketches, image rights, video and radio recordings of the designer himself and improving preservation and storage. Retrieving archives builds the heritage and fundamentals of the brand’s starting years. Archiving is an important task for brands to track their journey and provide evidence of their works. It also helps with the identity and understanding of brand cultures over time.

*Paco Rabanne’s dress NFT. Image: Trendsmap*

READ MORE: A Quick Dive into the Popularity of Blue-Chip NFTs

Another luxury fashion house Valentino has also embarked on its journey to conserve their own fashion archives. Valentino’s creative director, Pierpaolo Piccioli, has launched the second phase of the house’s sustainable vintage initiative following the first launch in October 2021. With a collection of vintage garments, phase two aims to host the pieces from the collection in four selected vintage stores worldwide. Each of these stores offers consulting services where customers could obtain all the information on the specific piece. With this opportunity, many could rediscover their love for the brand or simply fall in love with the founder’s original sensibilities. It is an initiative born from the idea of giving back to those that treasure these pieces while also promoting sustainable vintages.

Brands today showcase and bring back past classic silhouettes to accommodate the luxury fashion market’s penchant for future timeless pieces. Consumer demand for luxury fashion is ever-growing and various brand’s fashion archives have proven to be a rich resource for marketing to untapped audiences, both young and old.

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10 luxurious jewellery pieces of this Fall/Winter 2021

From Chanel, Chopard to Piaget, these top-of-the-line jewellery pieces definitely will elevate your appearance.

Chanel

It’s the 100th anniversary of the iconic N°5 perfume and Patrice Leguéreau has just the present to celebrate the milestone. The Chanel Fine Jewelry Creation Studio director has crafted over a hundred stunning haute joaillerie pieces for Collection N°5 and they include this Golden Sillage bracelet in yellow gold and platinum with yellow sapphires, spessartite garnets and diamonds.

Chopard

Everything in Chopard’s Red Carpet collection is literally breathtaking—one does not simply enumerate the components in each piece without gasping for air. This cuff bracelet, for one, features Mandarin garnets, Paraiba tourmalines, pastel sapphires, white opals, pink quartz, tsavorites, tanzanites, kunzite, amethysts, aquamarines, beryls, topaz, citrines, rubies, tourmalines and diamonds.

De Beers

Untamed nature serves as the backdrop for De Beers’ Reflections of Nature high jewellery range. Capturing the maze of waterways, floodplains and islands of Botswana’s Okavango Delta, the Okavango Grace creations, particularly these climber earrings, boast rough and polished diamonds in a true-to-life colour scheme of green, pink, brownish pink, purple and grey.

Dior

A decade has passed since Victoire de Castellane came out with her lush Bal des Roses collection. Now, once again paying a tribute to Christian Dior and his favourite flower, the creative director introduces the sparkling new RoseDior range, which brings forth a slew of exquisite designs such as these RoseDior earrings in textured yellow gold with diamonds.

Gucci

The oh-so whimsical garden at Gucci continues to grow with the expansion of the Hortus Deliciarum high jewellery collection. Echoing the eclectic quixotism of creative director Alessandro Michele’s kaleidoscopic universe, the new batch is inspired by the mesmeric hues of the sky at various times of the day which is perfectly illustrated by this classic cocktail ring.

Louis Vuitton

Diving deeper into its past, Louis Vuitton takes its devotees back to the very beginning—when its founder embarked on that journey across France to realise his dreams—for the Bravery high jewellery assortment. The Arrow ring cleverly narrates this account, serving as a metaphor for his odyssey and a literal interpretation of his legacy with the incorporation of the emblematic V motif.

Hermès

An icon at Hermès has received the ultimate star treatment with the brand’s latest jewellery entry. The Kellymorphose line, just as its name suggests, takes after the legendary Kelly bag defined by a strong and assertive form, side straps, clasp, padlock and key-holder—elements that are present in the pieces under the banner notably this Kelly Gavroche necklace.

Piaget

Where there’s darkness, there’s light. Promising to illuminate even in the bleakest of nights, Piaget’s Extraordinary Lights high jewellery pieces are imbued with the most spectacular light phenomenon. The Magical Aurora necklace, for instance, is bound to set the sky ablaze with the verdant hue of its emeralds and the unparalleled sparkle of its diamonds.

Habib

Springtime stretches all year long at Habib and the blossoming of The Bouquet in the fall season shows us just that. This stunning frangipani-inspired brooch, handcrafted in a restful combination of 18k rose and white gold, exudes the feeling of unfiltered femininity as the pink petals unfurl under the morning sun and unveil 391 pieces of brilliant-cut diamonds.

Tiffany & Co.

Nature’s most vivid chromatic displays are turned into mesmerising works of art at Tiffany & Co. as the jeweller releases its 2021 Blue Book collection. Themed Colours of Nature, the new roster is brimming with one-of-a-kind masterworks including this delicate butterfly brooch in 18k yellow gold peppered with purple sapphires and dazzling diamonds.

This article was originally published on www.lofficielmalaysia.com.

Dior revisits the timeless Mizza leopard motif

The muse at the heart of the Dior Fall/Winter 2021 collection is Monsieur Dior’s eternal muse Mizza Bricard, who made leopard print her personal identity.

Creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri revisits the timeless Mizza leopard motif this by translating the feline grace and daring eccentricity onto a sleek contemporary wardrobe. From the Bar jacket to the Dior Book Tote and Dior Caro, the couturier’s classics are refreshed with the Mizza Print into versatile statement pieces for now and forever.

Swipe the gallery to take a look at the collection:

This article was originally published on www.lofficielmalaysia.com.

Into the wonderland of DIORAMOUR capsule collection

This season, Dior presents the renewal of the lovable DIORAMOUR capsule collection as creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri dreams up another modern fairy tale that orbits around feminine sensibility, self-expression and awareness.

Maria Grazia Chiuri has continuously proved her prowess when it comes to conjuring sartorial fairy tales where the time-space dimension is erased. More than just a shelter from reality, Chiuri’s version of fairy tales manifests a narrative to revisit classics and rethink archetypes.

Defining the latest DIORAMOUR capsule collection is the colour of red contrasting with black and white. Silhouettes sharpened to an edgy sleekness lined up; loveable heart motifs showers the ready-to-wear as well as the iconic Cannage quilting.

A hooded Bar jacket is tailored for Angela Carter’s Little Red Riding Hood, while the toy soldier’s uniform is reimagined with the softness of cashmere. The archival rose motif created by Monsieur Dior’s collaborator and friend Andrée Brossin de Méré is employed across the collection, paying tribute to Beauty and the Beast, one of the Chiuri’s favourite happily-ever-after.

Swipe the gallery to discover the latest DIORAMOUR capsule collection:

The DIORAMOUR capsule collection will be launched in Dior Pavilion in celebration of its 1st Anniversary.

This article was originally published on www.lofficielmalaysia.com.

Upclose at the first-ever Dior Skincare Talk with Gisele Bündchen

If there is one product we absolutely adore from Dior Skincare (@diorskincare), it is definitely the Dior Capture Totale series and now we are even more excited as supermodel Gisele Bündchen (@gisele), the face of the Capture Totale skincare line, is here to host the first-ever Dior Beauty Talk.

Focusing on theDior Capture Totale Super Potent Serum, Gisele is hosting a special digital discussion with a panel of beauty experts including facialist Joanna Czech, doctor Teo Wan Lin and nutritionists Rose Ferguson and Valérie Espinasse.

Also joining the discussion are the friends of Dior including top model Melodie Monrose, stylist Gabriella Karefa John and art collector Wanying Lei, where they discuss more than just the benefits Dior Capture Totale Super Potent Serum.

Gisele also leads the ladies into conversations about their personal beauty secrets, nutrition tips, the practice of a healthy lifestyle and even on sustainability and eco-conception.

Filmed at their respective homes, the extended digital discussion is now also made a series of YouTube mini-clips, where users can watch to learn more about Dior skincare and other tips and experiences by the panel of experts and personalities.

Discover more on www.dior.com.

This article was originally published on www.lofficielmalaysia.com.

Dior opens in Pavilion KL

The wait is finally over. Located at the main entrance of prestigious shopping mall Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, the new Dior boutique houses both menswear and womenswear.

Catching eyes with its imposing facade bedecked in its signature Cannage motif, the boutique is a pastiche of the Lady Dior, accentuated by the lustre of lines. Inside, townhouse grandeur informs the store with soft colours and tactile textures. Furniture in neutrals and wood flooring contrast with pristine interiors, creating an inviting ambience.

Home to women’s and men’s ready-to-wear, accessories, fine jewellery and footwear, the latest store in town is the go-to place for Dior fans to invest in the brand’s iconic creations including the Book Tote, the Bobby Bag and the Saddle Bag. The boutique also boasts a verdant garden, offering escapism for city dwellers from bustle.

To maximise shopping pleasure, the Dior Pavilion Kuala Lumpur boutique provides ABCDior personalisation service, allowing customers to create their very own “triumph” from the icons and seasonal creations like bags, footwear and hats.

Fashion houses and brands to contribute to Coronavirus global pandemic

The fashion industry is experiencing one of its darkest days right now as the Coronavirus turns to be a global pandemic right now.

The Coronavirus crisis hasn’t only heavily impacted the lives of many, but also businesses worldwide including the fashion industry.

As the world fights it together, fashion behemoths and moguls are also coming together to do their part for the welfare of others. Whether it’s making cash contributions, supplying personal protective equipment products or supporting food bank, they are offering help in their own ways in the time of need.

MODA MALAYSIA

In partnership with FashionValet and IMARET, Malaysia Official Designers Association (MODA) is also joining in the efforts to combat against the COVID-19 pandemic by buying materials and sewing personal protection equipment (PPE) to frontliners in Malaysia. Funds will be administered by MODA to buy the fabric to be distributed to designers and volunteers involved to sew PPE hospital gowns as fast as possible.

The initiative sees local designers including Dato Radzuan Radziwill, Khoon Hooi, Alia Bastamam, InnaiRed, Melinda Looi, Celest Thoi, Jimmy Lim, Key Ng, You Sheng, Keith Kee, Kit Woo and their league of seamstresses volunteering to cut and sew these hospital gowns.

You can support the cause via materials or fund donation here.

CAPRI HOLDINGS

Capri Holdings Limited, a global fashion luxury group that owns Michael Kors, Versace and Jimmy Choo, announced today that its collective brands and their founders are donating more than $3 million in support of COVID-19 relief efforts.

Michael Kors brand will donate $1 million to support local relief efforts. In addition, founder Michael Kors and John Idol will make personal contributions of an additional $1 million towards these efforts which will be directed to NYU Langone Health and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, God’s Love We Deliver and A Common Thread.

DIOR

In addition to the efforts of its parent company LVMH, Dior opening up its Baby Dior Atelier in Redon in the aid of producing face masks on a volunteering basis in helping out the current situation. The Dior staff are joining in the production via a volunteer basis.

CHANEL

Like many French fashion house, Chanel has also pledged to produce protective gears to aid the French medical system and also donate $1.3 million to an emergency fund dedicated for the public health system in France.

In addition to that, Chanel has also promised to pay two months of salary to all its French workers to avoid them from relying on the unemployment fund from the French government

COACH

The Tapestry, Inc. family (the parent company of Coach which also owns Kate Spade New York and Stuart Weitzman) through the Coach Foundation has decided to commit USD2 million to the New York City Small Business Community Fund and also match the North America employee donations to COVID-19 response efforts through their matching gift program. Also, they will make an additional donation to an organisation crowd-sourced by employees.

BURBERRY

In their efforts to contribute to the fight against COVID-19, Burberry is facilitating the delivery of surgical masks, non-surgical masks and gowns for use by medical staff and patients by utilising our global supply chain network to fast-track the delivery of over 100,000 surgical masks to the UK National Health Service and also, retooling our trench coat factory in Castleford, Yorkshire, to make non-surgical gowns and masks for patients.

On top of that, Burberry will be funding research into a single-dose vaccine developed by the University of Oxford and donating to charities including FareShare and The Felix Project, dedicated to tackling food poverty across the UK.

Courtesy of Gucci

LVMH

The French conglomerate has leveraged its cosmetics factories including Guerlain, Dior Parfums and Givenchy Beauty to manufacture hydroalcoholic gel and distribute to health authorities in France. It is also ordering 40 million face masks from China for the country. Back in January, French company gave 16 million RMB (approx. RM 9.9 million) to The Red Cross Society of China.

Fendi men’s and accessories creative director Silvia Venturini Fendi also took to the Instagram to announce the foundation has contributed €100,000 (approx. RM475,000) to help the intensive care department of Presidio Sanitario Columbus in Rome last week.

KERING

The fashion giant, which owns Gucci, Saint Laurent, Balenciaga and Bottega Veneta, has donated 7.5 million RMB (approx. RM4.6 million) to the Red Cross Society of China and € 2 million (about RM 9.3 million) to the healthcare institutions in Italy including Lombardy, Veneto, Tuscany and Lazio.

The fashion group is also ordering three million surgical masks from China to distribute to French health services while tapping Balenciaga and Saint Laurent to produce masks and personal protective supplies.

The CEO of Gucci, Marco Bizzari, has also donated more than $100,000 (approx. RM430,000) to hospitals in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy.

Masks produced internally at the Prada factory in Montone. Courtesy of Prada.

VIVY YUSOF & FADZA ANUAR

The co-founders of Fashion Valet have together launched a FV Covid-19 Support Fund on behalf of Imaret Malaysia (Islamic Medical Association of Malaysia Response and Relief Team) to ensure the adequate supplies of general and medical materials to the frontline staff in Malaysia. The couple has taken the lead by donating RM100,000 to the campaign.

For Malaysians, you can do your part by contributing to Mereka, Mercy Malaysia, Kitafund, or The Lost Food Project.

HERMÉS

The high-end fashion label has pledged 5 million RMB (Approx. RM3.1 million) to the China Soong Ching Ling Foundation, honouring the medical professionals who have fought on the front line.

PRADA

The Italian luxury fashion house has donated two entire intensive care and resuscitation units each to three of Milan’s biggest hospitals including San Raffaele, Sacco and Vittore Buzzi. The brand will also use its production lines to produce masks and medical overalls to the country. The production plan provides for daily deliveries, which will be completed by April 6th.

Donatella Versace, courtesy of Versace.

VERSACE

The Donatella Versace-helmed Italian fashion house contributed 1 million RMB (approx RM600,000) to The Chinese Red Cross Foundation last month, while the creative director of Versace herself together with her daughter Allegra Versace Beck have donated €200,000 (approx. RM930,000) to the ICU of San Raffaele hospital in Milan.

GIORGIO ARMANI

The brand from Italy has funded numerous Italian hospitals and institutions with a total of €1.25 million (approx. RM5.8 million) to a group of Italian hospitals and institutions, including the Luigi Sacco and San Raffaele hospitals, the Istituto dei Tumori in Milan and more.

BIJI-BIJI INITIATIVE

The owner of Biji Biji ethical fashion, a Malaysian fashion company consisting of Biji-biji Initiative, Me.reka, and Taylors Me.reka Makerspace, is working with a group of volunteers and makers to make Protective Face Shields for the Covid-19 front-liners, which youou can make your contribution by clicking this link – www.mereka.my/protecting-our-frontliners.

MONCLER

The brand, known for its iconic winter puffer jacket, will donate €10 million (RM46 million) towards the construction of a new hospital in Milan that has 400 intensive care units.

SERGIO ROSSI

The Italian shoemaker has donated €100,000 (about RM460,00) to a hospital in Milan and has announced to dole out 100% of its online sales profits between 14th March and 20th March 2020.

BVLGARI

Jewellery house Bulgari donated an unspecified amount to the Istituto Lazzaro Spallanzani’s research department in Rome, which was among the first to isolate the DNA of COVID-19. The amount was reported to be sufficient to buy a microscopic image acquisition system that is worth about €100,000.

CHIARA FERRAGNI

The Italian fashion entrepreneur and her husband Fedez have helped to raise over €4 million (about RM18 million) through GoFundMe campaign. The couple has also contributed €100,000 towards the intensive care department of San Raffaele hospital in Milan.

RICHEMONT

The Swiss luxury behemoth who owns Cartier, Montblanc, Van Cleef & Arpels and more has pledged to give 10 million Renminbi (RM6.1 million) to China to combat the COVID-19.

INDITEX

The global fashion group, which owns Zara and Bershka, will make use of its supply chains to produce masks and gowns for medical workers and patients in Spain. Last week, the company has expected to ship 300,000 face masks from overseas and distribute it to the Spanish health authorities.

BRITISH FASHION COUNCIL

The pillar of British fashion industry did its part by working with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and the Department for Health and Social Care on a new initiative to produce essential protective products including masks.

CFDA

The Council of Fashion Designers America (CFDA) has urged the fashion community in US – companies, vendors and individuals – to assist in the manufacturing of personal protective equipment products like masks, gowns and gloves.

They will also repurpose the US$700,000 (approx. RM2.1 million), which is supposed to be for the annual CFDA Vogue Fashion Fund, to small businesses that apply for grants from 8th April onwards under the new fundraising initiative with Vogue to support small businesses – A Common Thread.

Courtesy of CFDA

This article was originally published on www.lofficielmalaysia.com.

Dior Lady Art #4 has landed in KL’s Starhill Gallery

The Parisian house’s annual phenomenal campaign, the Dior Lady Art is returning for its 4th edition and Dior at Starhill Gallery is selected as one of the global destinations to house the exclusive collection.

25 years ago, a black Lady Dior with golden hardwares and charms made a debut on the arm of Princess Diana, and ever since then, the silhouette has become the epitome of chic and Dior’s jewel in the crown. In 2016, the Parisian house launched Dior Lady Art for the first time, inviting talents from different fields to reimagine the classic design with their very own idea and vision.

For the 4th edition of Dior Lady Art, eleven artists and Dior Atelier work together to present a line-up of haute couture savoir-faire. The artists are given the freedom to translate their creativity onto every detail of the timeless piece –from the fabrics, sizes, colours to stitching and jewellery.

New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas conjured the landscape of gardens at Giverny on Lady Dior with flamboyant patchworks and dazzling beads; African artist Athi-Patra Ruga transcended Junon Dress, the haute couture masterpiece by Monsieur Dior in 1949 into elaborate sculptural embroideries; while French artist Marguerite Humeau brought the first 3D-printed Lady Dior to life, of which has expressed fragility with majestic power.