Dior resumes physical runway show for Cruise collection

Dior on Wednesday showed the first of the cruise collections via a bonafide, traditional runway show in Italy.

In a town square in Lecce, Puglia, a carrousel housing an orchestra stood in the middle of the piazza, which staged the catwalk of some 90 looks. There was music, dancing and singing, much like a village fête, which drew a small crowd of locals to the decoratively lit Piazza del Duomo. Diorisms such as “we rise by lifting others” and “be a builder of unguilt” illuminated the backdrop.

The collection itself was a celebration of craft and tradition, with many of the looks originating from locally-sourced materials and handiwork. There were fringed blanket dresses, embroideries, pinafore frocks accessorized with wide leather belts and bustiers. These was linen, floral appliqués, hand-knit sweaters and evening wear, much of which was a celebration of Puglia’s traditional arts and crafts and priceless skills.

“During this period, I sought to give collective efforts a new dimension. Despite the disadvantages of distance, bringing a different perspective to our daily lives has given us strength and imagination,” Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s Creative Director, said in a statement.

One of the local crafts incorporated in the show include lace Tombolo lace, an extremely delicate style of lace which originated in Italy in the 15th century. This embroidery is made by hand using painstakingly meticulous gestures that are preciously passed down from generation to generation. These embellishments, as seen in the collection, were created in collaboration with Marilena Sparasci, one of the last remaining embroiderers to practice and teach this technique.

Ninety runway looks for a cruise collection may seem indulgent in the time of a pandemic, but for fashion giants like Dior the cruise season is one of the most lucrative in the seasonal calendar, with collections staying in-store and online the longest without going on sale. The majority of fashion brands have chosen to cancel their cruise catwalk shows, which often are hosted in faraway places and territories. Dior, however, sees the runway medium as being core to its brand. CEO Pietro Beccari told Vogue runway collections and fashion shows are Dior’s DNA and the company will go ahead with showing pre-collections.

Image via Dior