Maria Grazia Chiuri steps down as creative director of Dior women's collections
Just two days after her May 27 show, a grand finale in her native city of Rome, Maria Grazia Chiuri is leaving Dior, where she served as creative director of the women's collections for nine years. Such longevity is rare in today's fashion world, where most hold the prestigious position for only three to five years.
Born in 1964, Chiuri studied fashion and began her career in Rome. She managed the leather goods line at Fendi, then joined Valentino in 1999, initially overseeing the accessories department before being promoted to co-creative director alongside Pierpaolo Piccioli in 2008. She was approached by Dior, which was seeking a successor to Raf Simons to lead the women's collections (including ready-to-wear, haute couture and accessories). She left Valentino after 17 years of working with the Roman house in 2016.
At Dior, she became the first woman to hold the position of creative director. Feminism immediately became central to her work. In her first show in September 2016, she sent models down the runway in T-shirts bearing the message "We should all be feminists," a reference to the essay of the same name by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, which advocates for deconstructing gender stereotypes. In interviews, the Roman designer explained that gender equality was far from being achieved and that the topic needed to be addressed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
a day ago
- LeMonde
The promise of African soft power
"My music is not there for entertainment. It is there to spread a message," said Nigerian activist and afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti (1938-1997) in the 1970s. Half a century later, his distant heirs – descendants of the "Black President" – seem to have moved on from that mantra. In Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, afrobeats (with an "s") now reigns supreme: a danceable, addictive genre that is unabashedly festive and commercial. Emerging from Lagos, Nigeria's chaotic megacity, this blend of R'n'B, electronic music, hip hop and traditional African rhythms has taken the world by storm. On April 18 in Paris, nearly 80,000 people packed the Stade de France to see Nigerian star Burna Boy, the first African headliner to perform solo in the stadium. The "African Giant" – also the title of his landmark 2019 album – draws massive crowds, as do fellow performers like Wizkid, Ayra Starr and Rema, whose hit " Calm Down," remixed with American pop star Selena Gomez, has over one billion views on YouTube. "The impact in terms of influence is enormous," said Yoel Kenan, founder and CEO of Africori, a music distribution company with offices in Johannesburg, London and Lagos, which supports nearly 7,000 African artists. "Fifteen years ago, Nigeria was seen as a country of crooks, but now people think first of culture and afrobeats."
France 24
2 days ago
- France 24
Donald Trump signs travel ban on 12 countries
Also, Africa has immense international cultural influence. Nigerian filmmakers made a strong showing at this year's Cannes Film Festival in France, with Akinola Davies Jr.'s debut feature, My Father's Shadow, making history as the first Nigerian film selected for the official lineup, screening in the Un Certain Regard section. Earlier, I spoke to Peace Hyde, the producer behind the Netflix hit Young, Famous & African, now in its third season. She says that the impact that the continent's creatives are having is no accident, and there's more to come. Finally, in Burundi, Parliamentary elections were held on thursday. The ruling party was expected to win as it didn't face much opposition, with many rival political figures not being allowed to run. Amidst the tension, some of the boldest voices have come from the Catholic Church.
Fashion Network
4 days ago
- Fashion Network
Aries links with KFC for 10-piece high-end capsule
There's a now-long-established tradition of fashion brands and retailers linking up with big names in the food industry and the latest collab highlights just how far this has gone with a launch at eye-watering prices. Aries, the London-based streetwear brand, has partnered with KFC for a limited edition fashion drop dubbed the Gravy Drip Collection. Now, that might sound like the kind of thing you'd take with a pinch of salt (no pun intended) were it launched on April 1. But launching on June 4, it needs to be taken more seriously. Aries is known for its interesting collabs and eye-catching graphics and in this case the 'artfully surreal imagery by famed photographer Douglas Irvine… evokes Renaissance opulence with a surreal edge. Think Caravaggio if he swapped his fruit bowls for family buckets'. The capsule is 'inspired by KFC's iconic gravy. From hand-dripped leather jackets and Roman-printed denim to enamel-dipped accessories and a ceramic gravy boat, it's built to cut through the noise and spark cultural conversation'. Limited-edition pieces are priced from £12 to £1,400 and will be available exclusively from tomorrow at The companies said that 'it's a 10-piece love letter to comfort food and couture — where liquid gold gravy meets punk luxury in the most gloriously unhinged way. We're talking high fashion with a finger lickin' twist. It's bold, it's messy, it's everything you never knew you needed'. What that means in practice is digitally printed denim jeans wrapped in Roman banquet-inspired scenes and black tees dripping in golden gravy. The black sweats 'give athleisure a luxe edge, with sharp gold detailing and dual branding that hits just right'. There's also a cap, a golden chicken drumstick pendant glazed in gravy-hued enamel, and a sticker pack fusing Roman architecture with tongue-in-cheek chicken iconography. But the star of the show is the distressed leather jacket in deep brown, with a 'Renaissance-style back panel where celestial figures present chicken drumsticks like prized treasures'. Each jacket is finished with a co-branded gold foil logo and a hand-applied gold drip effect, 'making every piece one of a kind and built for the truly devoted'. That's where the £1,400 price tag comes in. The companies also said it's 'fashion that doesn't take itself too seriously — serving sharp design, high-concept visuals, and a wink of absurdity. This is the next evolution of a cultural moment for KFC, that started earlier this year at Sinead Gorey's fashion week runway, with models clutching chicken mid-strut and social media eating it up'.
