Take Harry Potter‘s characters and turn them into models, wearing the most iconic pieces from a fashion house like Dior. The result is @Gryffindior, the Instagram account that broke the internet this past winter. Behind this success there’s Rachel, Moda Operandi’s senior art editor. She told us everything about Gryffindior in this interview: don’t miss it!
When and why did you decide to create Gryffindior?
Back in January, I was looking for a way to brush up on my photoshop knowledge and thought this would be a fun project to work on my skills.
Why did you mix the world of Harry Potter to Dior’s collections?
For me, Harry Potter and Dior both live in this world of fantasy. The artistry and history of the Dior house is incredible, so it only seemed fitting to place strong characters like Hermione, Harry and Ron in the clothes. It’s amazing how seamless some of the mashups are: Professor McGonagall in the black dress from F/W 16 is the perfect example how well Dior and Harry Potter align.
Are you taking inspirations only from the latest collections by Maria Grazia Chiuri or sometimes also from the archives?
I like to mix it up. I do love all that Maria Grazia has done with the house, but there are some incredible archival pieces that suit characters like Dumbledore and McGonagall so well!
Do you remember the first look you created?
The idea of Gryffindior randomly came to me late one night, and when I checked to see if the Instagram handle was still available, to my surprise it was! I worked for a few hours putting Hermione into a S/S 18 look and was surprisingly happy with the outcome. When I finished, I immediately texted my friend with the first edit, and all he replied back with was an “Oh my God”.
Who’s the best to wear Dior, in your opinion?
I love seeing Hermione in the looks. It feels natural for her to be wearing Dior.
Which are the characters that are loved the most by your followers?
Dumbledore and McGonagall get a lot of great reactions. I always enjoy reading the positive feedback in the comments.
Have you reached just fashionista or also Harry Potter’s fans?
For this particular account, I seem to have been able to strike a chord because both high fashion and Harry Potter have such huge, loyal fan followings.
Lately you’re creating some mash ups also with other brands, such as Saint Laurent, Chanel… should we expect more posts like these? Or maybe some new profiles?
I love doing the Guest House posts, it allows me to feature more characters and fashion houses. You can definitely expect to see more Huffendipuff and Chanelf’s in the future, but everything will be staying right where it started on @Gryffindior.