Paris Fashion Week: Artist Joana Vasconcelos creates a legendary look for Dior

Dior introduced the 2023-2024 Autumn/Winter Collection by bringing together a runway show prepared with 20 signature fabrics and a unique installation.

Dior is a fashion house that always puts its signature on fashion shows through creative collaborations with the world's leading contemporary artists. However, the brand raised the bar even higher with the dazzling installation by artist Joana Vasconcelos at the 2023-2024 Fall/Winter Fashion Show at the Jardín de las Tullerías in Paris.

Known for always supporting women, art and the dwindling skill of craftsmanship, the brand's legendary creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, collaborated with the Portuguese artist to fill the space with one of her monumental installations. The organic forms, titled Valkyrie Miss Dior, are elaborately embroidered with a variety of Dior fabrics, laces and knitted crochets. The legendary work of art, weighing approximately 20 tons, was suspended from the ceiling and transformed the runway into a new and fascinating world.

 

 

With this collection, Maria Grazia Chiuri wanted to pay homage to three strong female characters in French history: Catherine Dior, Christian Dior's sister, singer Édith Piaf and actress Juliette Gréco. Adding to his artistic side, Vasconcelos interpreted these women as 'Valkyries', the female protagonists sent to the battlefield by Odin to choose those worthy of Valhalla in Norse mythology. “I developed this installation not only to integrate fabrics, but also to fill the space and interact with models and the public,” the artist said in a statement.

Vasconcelos also drew attention to her love of fashion and said, “Fashion is an important part of my life. For those like me who started exhibiting their work at Manobras in Lisbon in May 1994, this collaboration with Dior is a dream come true."

Against this striking backdrop, the looks in the ready-to-wear collection contrast perfectly with a direct, understated and powerful aesthetic inspired by the rewriting of 1950s codes. The homage to the brand's past and archives was always at the forefront with floral motifs integrated into fabrics woven with metallic thread. The scattering of primary, jewel-toned colors such as ruby, emerald, topaz yellow, and sapphire added to the dazzling effect of this piece of art. As a result, this fashion show hosted an inspiring and powerful meeting of feminine creative energy at all levels.