“It is a project that is tied to my origins, but that I developed at a very particular moment in our lives, not just mine. I really found a lot of sisterhood and brotherhood from all the people who, however, despite the difficulties, decided to work with me “
This is how Maria Grazia Chiuri presents the new and exclusive Dior Cruise 2021 fashion show, in an unprecedented tribute to the textile and craftsmanship tradition of a country full of splendid secrets. Lecce, the birthplace of Maria Grazia’s father, lit up as a party last night, just as it is customary to do during popular celebrations. And of these traditions nothing was missing from the appeal: from the art of weaving to the splendour of the Illuminations, from the central role of dance to the power of ritual music, the Maison Dior has transformed a collection into a wonderful ode to the landscapes of Puglia and its customs. The importance given to local artisans, who even in an incredibly difficult moment have not abandoned their spirit of sacrifice and inimitable know-how, has been the leitmotif of a fashion show that, we can say, without doubt, is unprecedented.
“The thing that was very important for me was to make people aware of how much value in craftmanship there is in Puglia, and how important it is in some way also for the younger generations not to lose it, but also to reinvest in it”
It is precisely to them that we would like to dedicate our tribute: to Le Costantine, masters of the embroidery of bobbin lace, who wonderfully decorated the fashion show looks, bringing to the world a textile tradition made of ancestral techniques kept, like a secret, in the wise hands of women southern Italy; to the illuminations of the Parisi Brothers, so iconic and inimitable, who have donated some of their Apulian tradition to the fashion service to bring down a rainbow in Piazza del Duomo that can’t be admired anywhere else in the world; to the hand-painted ceramics by Agostino Brancaand to all those who made this event unforgettable.
The Dior Cruise 2021 has absorbed all these skills to put them at the service of 89 looks with a rural flavour but with an extremely elegant and sophisticated soul, just like the creations of the Apulian artisans. Miss Dior’s flower has been replaced by ears of wheat and wildflowers, chiffon and silk from raw cotton, jute and lace. To catwalk, a delicate palette, made of whites and beige interrupted by splashes of khaki green, blue, grey and coral. This collection is a choral work that celebrates the memory, values, culture and future of Maison’s extraordinary craftsmanship. The iconic bar jackets were dressed in a striped pattern produced by hand by Le Costantine, the Miss Dior dress made by Christian Dior in 1947 was reinterpreted by four hands by the artist Pietro Ruffo and Maria Grazia Chiuri, recalling the image of a wheat field under the summer sun. The lights, on the other hand, have become the texture of multicoloured scarves, of perforated and embroidered fabrics of dresses and tops. This time, overalls with long and wide skirts have been added to the traditional Dior cuts, reminiscent of the aprons of the Mondine, masculine Bermudas and suits that wink at the most iconic Dior style: that of a French girl of the high village who does not give up the simplicity of elegance.
The light show was accompanied for the whole duration of the show by ritual dances, opening the parade with the sound of Pizzica and ending it on the notes of the unmistakable voice of Giuliano Sangiorgi, frontman of the Apulian Negramaro.
If Tradition will have the same meaning as Wonder from today, the merit goes, at least a little to this Dior Cruise 2021.