Dior’s new book, Dior. Memories of Childhood, crafted in collaboration with Rizzoli, chronicles Monsieur Christian Dior’s childhood and adolescent years in Granville and Paris, which laid the foundations for the founding of his eponymous brand. Written by Laurence Benaïm, a formidable fashion commentator and writer, it features rare archival looks, childhood images, and campaigns by famed photographers.
Born in Granville, a seaside town on the Normandy coast, Christian Dior grew up at the family’s Villa Les Rhumbs. Its garden, pictured in a pink hue on the front cover, was the birthplace of his love for flowers, a theme heavily referenced in his own designs and those of his successors. His upbringing became a breeding ground for his ingenuity and remains a crucial part of the beliefs he held and instilled into the House of Dior. Growing up in the midst of the Belle Époque, a period of cultural development and technological advancement, nourished his formative years, creating space for his visionary spirit and imagination. This golden age of prosperity and peace gave way to a thriving society; the designer attended events like carnivals and festivals, which sparked an interest in evening ball gowns, soon to be channelled into his own couture garments.
Accompanied by an exhibition at the Musée Christian Dior in Granville, the book examines the creative directors who took on the role of leading the Maison following the passing of Christian Dior in 1957. Tasked with following in his footsteps and preserving the central codes of the Maison, designers including Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, John Galliano, Raf Simons, Maria Grazia Chiuri, and Jonathan Anderson, currently at the helm, each took an individual approach to preserving the founder’s legacy while forging a path forward. The book features photographs of their archive pieces, stored at Dior Héritage in Paris.
The turn of each page unveils the eighty-year history of the Maison and its founder, whose revolutionary vision and desire to “make women happier and more beautiful” is a sentiment continuously echoed through each collection. The book is already available in Europe, and will be published in the United States and worldwide in September.
