The great French maison Dior has chosen Lecce, in Puglia, to present the Cruise 2021 collection. Fashion show a Piazza Duomo, strictly behind closed doors to comply with anti-covid provisions, but broadcast online, recording mind-boggling numbers. The choice of Puglia is not accidental. The artistic director of the women's collections, Maria Grazia Chiuri, he wanted to pay homage to his father's land. The one who gave birth to her and where she cultivated the love forlocal crafts. A very special parade therefore that of 22 July and not only because it took place under the traditional illuminations and at the pace of pizzica (The Dior video).
This wonderful show has enclosed the heart of this magical land: the Salento with its culture and its craftsmanship. Skilled hands have drawn and embroidered the precious fabrics of the maison. We are not talking only and simply about fashion but about art in its fullest sense. Art that has its roots in a land made of sea, sun, wind and magic. Chiuri was good at bringing all this to the stage and giving us Dior under a new guise: no longer classic garden flowers but on the clothes the explosion of the wild Apulian nature. Enchanting tribute to Italy, a place of inexhaustible source of inspiration and ardent passion for Christian Dior since 1947.
Sixteen million spectators for Dior
Lecce is much more than just a simple one tourist destination: is the city ofbaroque architectureon a warm, sunny and typically summery background. This is where the Dior fashion show came to life. The event was a great success.
The live broadcast recorded 11 million views on social channels; 5,5 million watched it on demand with a strong following on the Asian continent. Great satisfaction of the mayor of Lecce, Carlo Salvemini. “Thanks go to our city which has proven it can be site of a global event". Among the guests Chiara Ferragni with Fedez, the actress Stefania Rocca with her husband Charles Capasa, president of the National Chamber of Fashion, in addition to the magnate of the group lvmh, Bernard Arnault, which owns the Dior brand. All on the notes of the orchestra of the Taranta night, directed by Paul Buonvino, accompanied by the voice of Giuliano Sangiorgi of the Negramaro.
In Dior fabrics, the skill of Lecce artisans
The collection is a tribute to local crafts. The art of weaving, the splendor of the lights, the central role of dance between mysticism and magic.
The Dior maison paid tribute to nature and the extraordinary landscapes of Puglia. The artistic director wanted to explore Dior values from a new point of view. To do this, says Chiuri, he consulted the artist Peter Ruffo that “to see how the Dior woman could be reinterpreted with flowers other than those usually used by the French maison”.
The flowers of Puglia are the rural ones, very colorful. For the Cruise 2021 collection, Ruffo has made more than 250 illustrations in three months. His enchanting designs blossom on a series of models, enriched by the mastery of the Dior ateliers. An invitation to travel that recalls the immortal beauty of the indomitable Apulian landscapes.
Bobbin and looms to reinterpret Dior
Chiuri says she was very fascinated byvery ancient technique of the tombolo. Very widespread in the Lecce area. “It is a work of such beauty and rare fragility. More than an embroidery I would define it as a piece of art ".
The fabrics of the Le Costantine Foundation. The singular motto of this extraordinary place, "Amando and Cantando”Is embroidered on a series of skirts that recall its excellence. The headquarters of the Foundation hosts i precious looms with which these fabrics come to life thanks to the use of ancestral techniques.
Illuminations and emancipation
Maria Grazia Chiuri also wanted to bring the famous lights that enhance and sublimate the squares in the patronal feasts.
Reinterpreted by Marinella Senator which he added to the work of local artisans, i Parisi Brothers, sentences in support of female empowerment which show that everyone's work is necessary in order to aspire to a better result. An interesting dialogue between fashion, craftsmanship and contemporary militant art. "It is important - concludes the artistic director Chiuri - to become aware of how much value there is in craftmanship in Puglia and how important it is for the new generations, don't lose it, but reinvest in all of this".
(Photo Official Web Site Christian Dior)
