The Business of Fashion shared the exclusive that Dior is set to show at the Gateway of India in Mumbai on March 30th. This event will be the first major European fashion show to take place in India, and while we are used to seeing Dior in Paris, the brand has a strong connection to this location.
Maria Grazia Chiuri has had a long-standing partnership with Chanakya, a Mumbai-based atelier and home of the Chanakya School of Craft. The non-profit school for women was founded in 2017 and states its mission is to “provide women from low income communities with high-quality education in hand embroidery, enabling them to maximize their potential and enhance their lives.” With such an important message behind it, it is obvious why fashion’s number one feminist Maria Grazia Chiuri would want to work alongside this organisation.
Dior has collaborated with Chanakya multiple times in the past. In 2020, Maria Grazia Chiuri and Judy Chicago worked with the Chanakya School of Craft to create 22 hand embroidered panels to be featured in their Spring Couture show. This partnership continued in 2021 when Dior worked with artist Eva Jospin for their Autumn/Winter show presented at the Rodin Museum.
The backdrop for this show was a forty-meter gallery that was entirely embroidered by those at Chanakya. However, for the upcoming collection, Chanakya is not limited to the backdrop of the show as some of the actual pieces will feature their embroidery. The collection is also said to include other traditional Indian influences such as sari-inspired pieces and silk dresses.
Photo Credit: Christian Dior Spring/Summer 2022 Haute Couture
Maria Grazia Chiuri’s spotlighting of Chanakya has been heavily praised within the media, as many designers utilise India’s embroidery and other garment techniques in their production but don’t advertise this fact. By locating the show in Mumbai, Chiuri is centring Indian artistry at the core of this collection, she took to Instagram to share:
“I have worked with the Chanakya Atelier for over 20 years, developing a close friendship and working relationship with its directors and founders Nehal and Karishma.
The relationship with Karishma, Nehal and all the artisans in their ateliers in Mumbai has been fundamental for my personal and professional growth.
It was through this relationship with Chanakya that I was able to learn so much about the artisanal embroidery techniques, which are still found in each and every Indian region, and the unique ability of the Chanakya Atelier to put them in dialogue with the fashion industry.
I personally wanted to celebrate and showcase the incredible knowledge India offers to the international world of fashion in the field of embroidery, the mastery of the artisans who continue to work on this craft, and the commitment of Chanakya’s founders to preserving India’s history and culture, portrayed by each embroidery technique. “
This post highlighted something else that is at the core of this show, community, but more specifically a community of women. We all know that Chiuri is a proud feminist and that she injects this into her work. In fact, her first ever show for Dior in 2016 saw the iconic “We should all be feminists” t-shirt take to the runway, setting gender-equality at the centre of her vision from the very beginning. With this in mind, it is not surprising that Chiuri wants to take this opportunity to spotlight and celebrate the Chanakya’s community of women and the positive work that the non-profit does. Chiuri shared on Instagram:
“The opening of the Chanakya School of Craft in 2016 consolidated our mutual commitment to women’s emancipation. Karishma created a place for women to learn how to embroider, a place of exchange, of study and of emancipation.
I was so touched to meet the women at the school and to hear first-hand how the school has impacted their lives and helped them on their journey to personal and professional independence.
It is for these many reasons that I am so proud, so emotional, and so incredibly happy that I will be joining my dear friends in Mumbai and that the @dior Fall 2023 show will take place there.
I just can’t wait.”
This show is set to be much more than a celebration of artistry, it is also a celebration of the community behind it, and we cannot wait to see it.
Words by: Amelia Gregory
Header Image: Dior Couture Autumn/Winter 2021-2022
