The name Christian Dior is considered by many to be the most
recognized name in Fashion. Christian Dior was born in 1905 in the small
town of Granville in Normandy, France. Dior spent some time as an
artist and launched a gallery in 1928, with generous financing by his
father.
Hard times were just around the corner though.
The Great Depression resulted in the bankruptcy of the family business,
forcing them to sell virtually everything they owned. Dior moved in with
a friend and soon began directing his attention to the Fashion
Industry.
After being discharged from army service in
1940, he returned to Paris in 1941 and secured employment with the
Fashion House of Lucien Lelong.
In 1946 Marcel Boussac,
the richest man in the France at the time, provided substantial
financial backing for Dior to launch his own Fashion House. Dior's first
clothing line released in 1947 was an overwhelming success, winning
favour for the designer, both in Europe and the distant USA.
Not
surprisingly, in 1949 Dior established a presence in New York and soon
expanded again to London in 1952. Wider global expansion followed
shortly after.
In 1948 Dior launched a perfume line
under the name of Christian Dior Parfumes Ltd. While a 1950 decision to
expand the brand into fashion accessories like hats, ties and handbags
was unpopular in the French Chamber of Couture, this move remains aa a
major cornerstone of the Company's present day success.
Dior was preparing for retirement when a heart attack took his life in 1957.
In
the chaos that followed, the fairly inexperienced Yves Saint Laurent
was promoted to the position of lead designer for the Company. Saint
Laurent met with mixed success before military service forced him to
leave Dior. His successor, Marc Bohan, would remain with the company
until 1989. Bohan is credited in many circles with the rescue of the
Dior brand.
The Boussac group, which was still in
financial control of the Dior Fashion Fouse, declared bankruptcy around
1984. Dior was then acquired by a group of investors led by Bernard
Arnault. Arnault took an active part in the direction Dior would take
over the next few decades.
In 2001 the company decided
to enter the men's fashion market, and their first show led by the
talents of former Yves Saint Laurent designer Hedi Slimane was a huge
triumph! Despite some ups and downs over the years, Dior is still
considered as one of the most popular and innovative Fashion Houses in
the world.
Source: www.ezinearticles.com
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