Latest news with #WeShouldAllBeFeminists
Nahar Net
4 days ago
- Business
- Nahar Net
Maria Grazia Chiuri exits Dior, capping transformative era for Paris fashion behemoth
by Naharnet Newsdesk 29 May 2025, 15:56 Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first woman ever to lead Dior's women's collections, announced Thursday she is stepping down as creative director after nine years at the storied French fashion house. The Italian designer confirmed her departure in an Instagram post, capping a transformative era defined by bold feminist messaging, record sales and industry-defining collections. Chiuri, 60, leaves behind a legacy that reshaped Dior's creative direction and broadened its global appeal. Since her arrival in 2016, she steered Dior through a golden era of commercial and cultural success. Revenues reportedly rose by nearly $8 billion from 2017 to 2023 as Chiuri's vision of empowered femininity resonated with a new generation of clients. "I am particularly grateful for the work accomplished by my teams and the ateliers. Their talent and expertise allowed me to realize my vision of committed women's fashion, in close dialogue with several generations of female artists," she said in the post. "Together, we have written a remarkable and impactful chapter, of which I am immensely proud." The fashion house said Chiuri "redefined the identity and femininity of the Dior woman, celebrated and reimagined the iconic heritage and savoir-faire." LVMH executive Delphine Arnault thanked Chiuri for her "tremendous work," saying she had "an inspiring feminist perspective and exceptional creativity, all imbued with the spirit of Monsieur Dior." Chiuri designed "highly desirable collections (and) has written a key chapter in the history of Christian Dior," Arnault added, noting she was the first woman to design the women's collections. Chiuri's debut for Spring 2017 made headlines with "We Should All Be Feminists" T-shirts, declaring a new era for Dior. She brought activism to the runway, collaborating with artists like Judy Chicago and Faith Ringgold. She revived icons such as the Saddle Bag and made space for women's voices, drawing on Dior's past while rewriting its aesthetic. Her shows spanned continents, from Mumbai to Kyoto, each celebrating craft and community. Chiuri's last collection, Resort 2026, was staged in her native Rome at Villa Torlonia, evoking the spirit of Italian cinema, and accompanied by a film from director Matteo Garrone. Dior has not yet named a successor, but speculation centers on Jonathan Anderson, who recently took over Dior's men's collections. Chiuri departs as the first woman to helm Dior since its founding in 1947, having rewritten the rules and opened the door for a new chapter at one of fashion's most influential maisons. Her departure is part of a long string of creative shakeups at major fashion houses, that includes Pierpaolo Piccioli's recent appointment as creative director at Balenciaga. Chiuri and Piccioli were for a time co-creative directors at Valentino.
Time of India
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Maria Grazia Chiuri bids farewell to Dior after nine transformative years
The fashion world is witnessing a major changing of the guard: Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first woman to lead Christian Dior's women's collections, is stepping down after nearly a decade at the helm of the French luxury house. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In an official statement released on Thursday, Dior confirmed her departure: 'Christian Dior Couture announces that Maria Grazia Chiuri has decided to leave her position as creative director of women's haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections.' Chiuri's exit marks the end of an influential chapter for Dior, one defined by bold feminist messaging, cross-cultural collaborations, and commercial success. During her nine-year tenure, Chiuri not only reimagined the house codes with a fresh female gaze but also made history as the first woman ever appointed to the role since Christian Dior founded the maison in 1947. Delphine Arnault, chairman and CEO of Christian Dior Couture, paid tribute to Chiuri's trailblazing legacy: 'Since joining Dior, Maria Grazia has delivered exceptional work with a deeply inspiring feminist vision, all while honouring the spirit of Monsieur Dior. Her collections have captured imagination and driven remarkable growth for the house.' Chiuri, in turn, expressed gratitude to the team that supported her journey: 'I thank Monsieur Arnault for his trust and Delphine for her constant support. Above all, I'm proud of the extraordinary work done with the ateliers and my team. Together, we created a fashion language rooted in empowerment, in dialogue with women artists across generations. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This has been an unforgettable chapter.' FILE - Italian fashion designer Maria Grazia Chiuri is photographed at the Dior Fall/Winter 2025-2026 Womenswear collection presented, March 4, 2025. in Paris. (Photo by Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP, file) A successor has yet to be announced, leaving the fashion world abuzz with speculation. The announcement follows the recent appointment of Jonathan Anderson as artistic director for Dior Men, replacing Kim Jones earlier this year. Chiuri's impact on Dior can't be overstated. When she joined the house in 2016, she already brought with her decades of experience, beginning her career in 1989 at Fendi as a handbag designer, then moving to Valentino in 1999, eventually rising to co-creative director alongside Pierpaolo Piccioli in 2008. Her debut Dior collection for Spring/Summer 2017 signalled a new direction, notably featuring slogan T-shirts emblazoned with 'We Should All Be Feminists', a reference to Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's essay. This bold move set the tone for what would become a signature: collections that centred women and celebrated their strength, stories, and artistry. Throughout her Dior years, Chiuri brought in the voices and visions of female artists to enrich her runway storytelling. From Judy Chicago's immersive installations to collaborations with Faith Ringgold, Eva Jospin, and Mickalene Thomas, the designer ensured that art and fashion walked hand in hand. One of her more theatrical moments came in the Spring/Summer 2025 show, when Italian artist and archer Sagg Napoli fired arrows on set as models walked, a fitting metaphor for Chiuri's powerful aim. Her tenure also spanned ambitious runway shows across the globe - from Mumbai, which honoured the artistry of Indian craftspeople, to Kyoto, which drew on Japanese tradition. These shows weren't just visually compelling; they were commercially effective. Under her leadership, Dior's couture division saw sales soar from €2.2 billion in 2017 to €9.5 billion in 2023, according to HSBC. However, like the broader luxury market, Dior has begun to feel the slowdown. Sales dipped to €8.7 billion in 2024, with LVMH's fashion and leather goods division reporting a 5% drop in Q1 2025. Amid this evolving landscape, Dior recently strengthened its executive team, appointing Benedetta Petruzzo as managing director in October and naming Pierre-Emmanuel Angeloglou deputy CEO in April, both reporting to Delphine Arnault. Outside the fashion world, Chiuri has also turned her attention to personal projects. Most notably, she has been restoring Rome's historic Teatro della Cometa, revealing her commitment to cultural preservation and storytelling in every form. Her final bow came earlier this week at the Dior Resort 2026 show, a poignant farewell to the house she helped reimagine for a new generation.
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Miami Herald
Dior suffers major loss as trailblazing designer exits
There are few moments more core to my fashion memory than the day my mom bought her first Dior bag. We were in London - just the three of us: my mom, my aunt, and me. A girls' trip filled with visiting family, seeing The Killers at the O2, and eating our way through the city. Of course, no girls' trip is complete without a little shopping. My mom, who had spent most of her life putting everyone else first, finally let herself splurge. She looked at a handful of bags. But then she tried on a white crossbody with gold hardware. Related: Louis Vuitton, Dior customers get bad news My aunt and I stood behind her, beaming. It wasn't quite her usual style, but we all knew it was the one. It just worked for her in a way nothing else did. That moment felt bigger than just a shopping win. Dior had become part of an ongoing shift - not just in how she looked, but in how she was starting to see herself. The brand stood for women becoming the main character in their own stories, unapologetically and on their own terms. This is why the news Dior just dropped feels like such a blow. Image source: Solaro/AFP via Getty Images Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior's first female creative director, is stepping down after a nine-year tenure. The fashion house confirmed her departure in a Thursday statement, ending a run that began in 2016 and reshaped the brand with a boldly feminist edge. From her debut Spring/Summer 2017 collection with the now-iconic "We Should All Be Feminists" tee, Chiuri brought a clear message: fashion isn't just about clothes - it's about power, identity, and inclusion. Related: Forget the Birkin bag, Hermès unveils something unexpected During her time at Dior, Chiuri made headlines with bold collaborations, feminist messaging, and the revival of iconic pieces like the Saddle Bag. Her designs weren't always about flash; they were about feeling. And they resonated. Under her leadership, Dior's couture sales jumped from €2.2 billion in 2017 to €9.5 billion in 2023, according to HSBC. But in the first quarter of 2025, LVMH (LVMHF) reported a 5% decline in sales in its fashion and leather goods division. Her departure comes during a delicate time for the brand. Chiuri didn't just create clothes - she created meaning. She was the architect of a brand identity that managed to blend heritage with progress. Under her watch, Dior didn't just reference Christian Dior's past, it reimagined it through a female lens. In an industry still dominated by men, she carved out space for stories and silhouettes that celebrated all kinds of women. As Dior works through a luxury slowdown and increasing pressure from rivals like Chanel and Loewe, this leadership gap could be more than symbolic. It may signal a creative reset, one that risks alienating the very customers Chiuri brought into the fold. A successor has yet to be named. And as for me, every time I see my mom wearing that white Dior bag, I think of that London day - of laughter, joy, and the quiet power of watching a woman choose herself. Dior helped make that possible. Now, without Chiuri, it has to prove it still can. Related: Chanel customers should be happy about its new pricing plan The Arena Media Brands, LLC THESTREET is a registered trademark of TheStreet, Inc.
Business of Fashion
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Business of Fashion
Hello, Goodbye: Maria Grazia Chiuri's Next Chapter
ROME — Human nature abhors a vacuum. Maria Grazia Chiuri's status at the house of Dior has been the object of furious speculation for months now, but in the absence of any confirmation from owner LVMH that the runway spectacle she staged in Rome on Tuesday night was her last hurrah at the brand, the audience made up its own mind. The designer was greeted with a rousing standing ovation when she walked out at the finale. The heavens opened throughout the show, which has become something of a feature of Chiuri's presentations when they're exposed to the elements. A cockeyed optimist might construe that as nature's equivalent of Tom Ford's emotion-drenched send-off at Yves Saint Laurent — still the benchmark for the long fashion goodbye — but, deluge aside, the cheers felt like a necessary acknowledgement of Chiuri's substantial near-decade achievement at Dior. As the only woman to carry Christian's mantle, she leaves her thumbprint on the brand, financially and creatively. Dior Cruise 2026. (Spotlight) Mind you, when to go gently into that good night may well have ultimately been her choice. All week, Chiuri appeared upbeat and relaxed, especially as she previewed a next act for journalists. (I'm assuming it's not the next act, but it does involve a theatre, so the analogy seems appropriate). She was home, in Rome, the happy place of her birth where she would retreat from Paris every weekend, and where she has been realizing a rather wonderful personal project for the past few years. Her renovation of the Teatro della Cometa, a bijou 233-seater in downtown Rome, is, in a way, an evolution of the commitment she always had at Dior to celebrating female creativity, from that very first show when a T-shirt quoted the title of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's essay 'We Should All Be Feminists.' For years, she has wrapped her presentations in the work of women who inspired her. This time, it was Anna Laetitia ('Mimi') Pecci-Blunt, the cultish art patron who was responsible for the construction of the Teatro in the annex of her family palazzo. Teatro della Cometa. (Laura Sciacovelli) The inspiration felt particularly personal, perhaps because it was so embedded in Chiuri's own story. The Palazzo Pecci-Blunt had always been a dream house for her. Once she found out about the house's chatelaine, she transferred her obsession to Mimi, a woman whose wealth and privilege (her father was the nephew of Pope Leo XIII) effortlessly eased her passage through — and patronage of — the cultural ferment of the early-mid 20th century. Mimi's salon in Paris counted Picasso, Cocteau, Dali, Man Ray and Stravinsky among its habitués. When she and her American banker husband Cecil Blumenthal (she made him abbreviate his name to Blunt), acquired their palazzo in Rome in 1929, it also became a hive of artistic activity. Driven into exile by the fascists, the family sat out WWII in New York. On their return, she had the Teatro della Cometa designed (by Tomaso Buzzi) and constructed so that she would have a proper venue for the musical recitals she might once have presented in her home. She was also able to put on plays, performances and dance recitals. 'She was really keen to share her passions with other people,' says Chiuri. 'I think for that time, Mimi was like Peggy Guggenheim,' Chiuri muses. 'She really wanted to create an environment with all these creative people from several disciplines working together. I like the idea she tried to connect all these artists. You see the picture of Mr. Dior in the café with Giacometti. He was a gallerist, she was a gallerist. That's the way I really like to work too, with other artists to make a project, especially in this moment where everybody wants to talk about differences. I like the artists who try to collaborate. I think that's a very important message.' Dior Cruise 2026 Look 6. (Courtesy Dior) Chiuri translated the message into the collection she showed Tuesday night by getting both her studios — couture and ready-to-wear — to work with Studio Tirelli. Umberto Tirelli founded his workshop in the Sixties to work with the greatest movie directors of his day. From his archive of over 350,000 pieces of clothing, Chiuri picked 12 silhouettes to be worn by actors in the film that her frequent collaborator Matteo Garrone made for the livestream, as well as the performers who paraded ghost-like around the garden of the Villa Albani Torlonia in the lead-up to the show. She was thinking about the Bal Blanc that Mimi staged in 1930 at her Paris home with Man Ray as co-host. Everyone wore white. Man Ray's photos of 'the party of the season' are preserved at the Centre Pompidou. The tableaux vivants that Chiuri has been staging at the Teatro for the past few days recreate the event. And the dress code on Tuesday was women in white, men in black. If that hints at the essential theatricality of Chiuri's presentation, then my work here is done. The invitation proclaimed Rome as 'Theatrum Mundi,' theatre of the world. (Feel the mycelium fingers reaching out to Teatro della Cometa). Dior Cruise 2026 Look 43. (Courtesy Dior) It's an obvious question: would Chiuri have liked to live in Mimi's moment? Her answer is an unequivocal yes. 'Now we have too much Zoom, too many pictures. I think it's so important to meet in person, to share ideas. This is exciting.' That's why she was so keen for her studios to work with Tirelli. 'For them, it was an experience that gave them a different perspective.' Top of Chiuri's moodboard was the cover of a book by Francesco Piccolo, 'La Bella Confusione.' One 'beautiful confusion' was the collection's indistinguishable mix of cruise and couture (the show was officially labeled Cruise 2026, but tended more heavily towards couture, I'd say). The other is Rome itself, hectic, chaotic, enough to spark arguments between Chiuri and her husband Paolo when she defends the city's profound dysfunction. 'Paris is a beautiful city, but I'm Mediterranean and there is no sun in winter. You wake up in the dark and for someone who grew up in Rome, it is not simple not to have sun.' She counters that with praise for the fabulous, vital, cultural diversity of Paris. But still… sunshine. Dior Cruise 2026 Look 68. (Courtesy Dior) But that professed umbilical connection to sensuality is why Chiuri's collections have always been a bit of a puzzler, because they don't often make that connection. They are pure and restrained and elegant and they embody an eerie kind of almost monastic luxury, but they aren't sunshine. And so it was with what we are acknowledging as her last collection for Dior. It was almost as though she was recreating her own favourite bits, with a strong emphasis on her Valentino era (read into that what you want). The elongated formality, the sheerness and delicacy of lace dresses with trains dragging through the rain-soaked gravel, the romantic tatters of Miss Havisham crochet… all of this had a costume-y Cinecittà allure. A leather motocross over a crystalled gown, a draped sheath in dull gold charmeuse, a black velvet cutaway jacket that looked moulded to the dress beneath: now these told a more provocative tale. The first time I met Chiuri, she and Pierpaolo Piccioli had just been to a Depeche Mode concert in Rome. That's the kind of conversation you (or at least I) cling to in fashion, where you share something real. Dior Cruise 2026 Look 38. (Courtesy Dior) And it fits with Chiuri's own notion of beautiful confusion: a relationship between fashion and theatre and film and music where the boundaries dissolve. 'You adapt the technique and the imagination when you work with different performers,' she says. 'It's exciting for the atelier because it's a different way to think. What is dance? What is theatre? What is fashion? I like this idea of 'la bella confusione.'' So I'm thinking that points forward for Chiuri in a very positive way. As far as she's concerned, the Teatro della Cometa is a family concern, something she will do with her husband and daughter Rachele. They've saved a little treasure from conversion to a supermarket or disco. 'We didn't want this incredible history to disappear,' Chiuri says. 'There are so many antiquities in Rome, so much that it's difficult for someone to make a stand for something so small.' But it is also a seductively quirky space. What other theatre stage can you think of that has six huge windows opening onto the street? 'A dialogue with the city,' Chiuri calls it. Maria Grazia Chiuri and daughter Rachele Regini at the Teatro della Cometa. (Laura Sciacovelli) And then there's her commitment to Mimi, whose archive is crying out for reactivation. 'That's what I am, an activator,' Chiuri declares. 'Not because I want to think about my future now — this doesn't interest me — I think it's much more interesting to reactivate something, to recreate. This is really beautiful for me.' So, after nine years of reactivation at Dior, Maria Grazia Chiuri is maybe contemplating a brave new world of Mimi-driven cultural activism. Perhaps a gallery, definitely a theatre, which promises a programme of provocative programming helmed by her daughter Rachele. Would she have been friends with Mimi? She answers without hesitation: 'Absolutely.' All the Looks From Dior Cruise 2026 Dior Cruise 2026 look 1. Dior Cruise 2026 look 2. 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Dior Cruise 2026 look 41. Dior Cruise 2026 look 42. Dior Cruise 2026 look 43. Dior Cruise 2026 look 44. Dior Cruise 2026 look 45. Dior Cruise 2026 look 46. Dior Cruise 2026 look 47. Dior Cruise 2026 look 48. Dior Cruise 2026 look 49. Dior Cruise 2026 look 50. Dior Cruise 2026 look 51. Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion. All investors have signed shareholders' documentation guaranteeing BoF's complete editorial independence.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Are women allowed their own dreams, wonders Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Twelve years after her last novel, best-selling Nigerian author and feminist icon Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is making a highly anticipated return with "Dream Count". The story recounts the intertwined fates of four women from Nigeria who emigrate to the United States and then find out their lives do not work out as planned. At its heart is Chiamaka, a writer who defies tradition and refuses the marriage upon which her affluent family back in Nigeria had placed so much hope. Zikora, Chiamaka's friend, fulfils her dream of having a child. But the father does not marry her and bails out. Chiamaka's cousin has a successful business career but then gives it all up to go back to university. And there is Kadiatou, Chiamaka's housemaid and confidante, whose American dream is shattered when she is sexually assaulted by a guest at a luxury hotel. "I'm interested in how much of a woman's dream is really hers, and how much is what society has told her to dream about," Adichie told AFP in Paris at the launch of the French edition of her book on March 27. "I think that the world is still deeply oppressive to women. Women are judged more harshly for being selfish, for having ambition and for being unapologetic." The four women initially think they know what they want from life and love, but doubts creep in when they start to fear they have missed opportunities and struggle with social pressures and racism. Yet they continue to support each other. "Women are socialised to think of each other as competition. And so when a woman makes the choice to really love and support another woman, it's an act of revolution. It's an act of pushing back at a patriarchal society," Adichie explained. - Not 'a place to be pitied' - Adichie's 2012 TED talk, "We Should All Be Feminists", propelled her into the mainstream. It received millions of hits on YouTube and was sampled by Beyonce in the singer's hit "Flawless". But she does not like her writing being pigeonholed. "I don't think of myself as a 'feminist' writer," she insisted. "I think of myself as a writer. And I'm also a feminist." "The problem with labels is that it can be very limiting," she continued. "We would then look at stories through only ideological lenses." Instead Adichie thinks novels need to be messy and sometimes contradict opinions and beliefs. "We're all full of contradictions," she smiled mischievously. Another of her bugbears is the patronising Western stereotype of Africa, the "single story" of a continent plagued by poverty, conflicts, and diseases. "There's still the tendency to look at Africa as a place to be pitied," she said. "And I think it's very troubling because you cannot understand a place like Nigeria, for example, if you look at it only as a place to be pitied." Nigeria is a major oil producer, has a thriving business culture, global pop stars and Nollywood -- Africa's answer to Hollywood. - A way out of grief - Not that everything is all rosy. Young Nigerians are leaving en masse, fleeing inflation and unemployment in search of a better future abroad. That, in Adichie's view, is the fault of the present government, which "is not at all in any way focused on ordinary people's lives". "I want to sit in judgment of the government, not in judgment of those who have dreams," she said. Now 47, Adichie has seen her works translated into more than 50 languages and won a string of prestigious literary awards -– including the Orange Prize for "Half of a Yellow Sun" (2006) and the National Book Critics Circle Award for "Americanah" (2013). But when she was pregnant with her first child, a daughter born in 2016, she was seized by crippling writer's block -- every wordsmith's nightmare. It was the loss of her mother in 2021, only months after the death of her father, that broke the stalemate. Out of her sorrow came "Dream Count". "Only when I was almost done did I realise: 'My God, it's about my mother!'" she said in an interview with Britain's Guardian newspaper in February. "I think my mother helped me," she told AFP. "I think she said: 'You know, I need to get my daughter writing again so that she doesn't go completely mad from grief.'" She said this book is "very different from anything else I've done". "This is the first novel that I've written as a mother. And this is the first I've written as an orphan," Adichie explained. "It's made my writing different. Because I think when you look differently at the world, what you create becomes different." cl/pma/gil/bc/dhc
