A story as old as time, the relationship between a designer and their muse is one that is deeply cherished. For Maria Grazia Chiuri, her latest Dior Pre-Fall 2021 collection has cultural megastars, K-Pop icons BLACKPINK, to thank for its bright, fun and playful silhouettes.
The latest collection is brought to life by a dual movement between field research and the return to the Atelier. Chiuri's creative process for her most recent collection began with the vision of Christian Dior's emblematic 1950s leopard print trench, worn famously and favoured by one of his muses and faithful collaborators, Mizza Bricard. Experimenting with this iconic print in a new collective and open territory, Chiuri has reimagined the original trench and complimentary accessories through a pop-culture lens. Brightly coloured, transparent, shiny and silvery creations are a nod to the Pop aesthetics of Elio Fiorucci and playful nature of the K-Pop phenomenon that has captured the zeitgeist.
Looking to the extraordinary vitality of sounds, rhythms, and colours synonymous with all-female group, BLACKPINK, the Dior Pre-Fall 2021 collection adopts the theatrics of K-Pop to create a range that is bright and experimental. Chiuri takes further inspiration from transversal Pop philosophy, from Richard Hamilton’s English Pop to Marco Lodola’s rather acidic New Futurism, and Andy Warhol’s psychedelia revisiting the Renaissance paintings of Paolo Uccello.
Only yesterday, BLACKPINK star and Dior muse Jisoo took the internet by storm as she stunned in the luxury fashion house's playful 2021 Cruise collection. Sporting tie-dye denim, a sheer black gown inspired by the traditional art of Luminarie and the perfect white sneaker, the collaboration stands as a reminder of the powerful role K-Pop stars play in modern society.
Similarly to the leopard trench, Dior has reinterpreted several of Chiuri's essential pieces and house icons for the new collection; from the Bar jacket to the anorak, from shirt-dresses to coats. Dior Pre-Fall 2021 has been designed with a profound lightness buoyed by the Pop spirit, at once extremely energetic and hyper-sophisticated.
