Dior’s Cruise 2024 collection pays homage to the textile tradition of Mexico and its weavers. (Photo by RODRIGO OROPEZA/AFP via Getty Images) (RODRIGO OROPEZA via Getty Images)
has something Dior with Mexico. Their latest collection, Cruise 2024, presented midway through this year, is just the latest evidence of the dedication that those responsible for the exclusive brand have to the land of Frida Kahlo, its women and its ancient traditions. Time passes and this relationship has remained unbreakable since the beginnings of the French “Maison”. Not without controversy, but worth highlighting. The accusation of cultural appropriation and exploitation of indigenous knowledge in order to achieve the greatest possible profit is now ignored by those responsible at Dior, despite their attempts to distance themselves from any double intention.
To determine the origins of this idyll, we have to go back to the early 1950s. At that time, its founder, Christian Dior, appointed one of his colleagues Evening dresses par excellence Mexique, which would go down in history as one of the designer’s most beautiful creations. It stood out for its maximum and theatrical volume drop, full of volume thanks to its undetectable layers of tulle. The neckline was perfectly closed and sealed with a soft velvet bow that masterfully defined the silhouette. The handmade embroidery imitated the shapes of the crescent moon reflected in the water. A unique design with the honored Mexican art embroiderers which continue to be a source of inspiration for the Paris-based brand today.
After that first wink, others came. In In 1953, Dior designed a new model of his iconic dress, now called México, for the haute couture collection of this year’s spring-summer season. She completely reformulated it and made it from silk organza fabric printed on a reinforced crepe and mesh base. The revision of his design caused such a stir that the French edition of Vogue magazine wanted him to appear on one of their covers. A year later, the Norman designer sent several of his creations to the Collection of Line H to Mexico City, where the first Dior fashion show on Mexican soil took place. The rest is history.
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Another “look” from Dior’s Cruise 2024 collection that the company created in collaboration with indigenous Mexican weavers (Photo by Giovanni Giannoni/WWD via Getty Images) (WWD via Getty Images)
The brand’s final tribute to the country its creator fell in love with is through Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first female creative director in Dior’s history, has been at the helm of the Maison since 2016. Her unbridled love for Mexico, which she shares with the founder, became more than clear to international fashion in her first collection, a year after her accession to the throne. In 2018, he repeated references with his Cruise 2019 collection, with which he once again wanted to pay tribute to the land of the Aztecs and his indelible legacy.
Mexican tradition and heritage were brought to life once again in the exclusive designs of the Cruise 2024 collection, with the painterly work of Frida Kahlo forming the common thread of the 92-style proposal. The pieces were created in harmony between Grazia’s team of tailors and artisans. Weavers from various indigenous populations of the scattered territory. These include those of the Mazatec community of La Chuparrosa, the Chinantec community of the National Valley and the Zapotec community of Isthmus de Tehuantep, all three located in the region State of Oaxaca; the women of the Nahua community of Tlacomulco de Huauchinango, in Pueblaand the weavers of the Mayan communities of the Chiapas Heights. Masters who, using their hands and ancestral techniques, sculpted unique and colorful garments full of embroidery and haute couture lace, carefully crafted from traditional textiles such as cotton, silk and hemp. The Istmeño Chain Huipil, a traditional indigenous tunic, was reunited with the catwalk and the catwalk was subjected to its avant-garde reinterpretation.
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The Battle of the local weavers So that his knowledge, which is passed down from generation to generation as the most valuable treasure, is not forgotten, he won a small big battle on that day in which his work was presented to the international fashion jet set. Now everyone can do it Have your work transformed into haute couture clothing, although it is unknown how much profit they make per piece sold. Or how much Dior compensated her for her work and the transfer of knowledge, which the company then sells in its hundreds of stores around the world at prices few can afford. Let’s take the example of one of the vests in the collection, embroidered on virgin wool and ecru mohair The price on Dior’s official website is around $6,000. Or the cotton and silk poplin pleated skirt, priced at just over $3,700. Or the embroidered blouse, also made of cotton and silk poplin, available for approximately $7,700.
To this we must add the high quality jewelry pieces also created by (pun intended) on the occasion of this Franco-Mexican collaboration Mexican master goldsmiths. Dior’s Cruise 2024 collection, for example, includes a long butterfly-themed necklace forged from matte gold metal and finished with white resin beads. The price is about $2,000.. Matching tribal earrings made from the same material are available for about $500. To complete the look, the butterfly ring comes at the modest price of just over $420.
The presentation of the French company’s proposal to the Mexican company was, from a “fashionable” point of view, a complete success was not without criticism. The topic of cultural appropriation gained widespread traction on social media. Several area artisans who were not involved in the creation of Cruise 2024 expressed concern about her Millennial work is becoming a mass product and lose their significance and historical value. There were those who criticized Dior’s association with the weavers as exploitation rather than collaborative work. A position that was also widespread criticized for its paternalism and colonialist approach. As if the craftsmen, because they were local, couldn’t decide on their future work or didn’t know what they were getting into when they agreed to work with the multimillion-dollar company. As usual, a debate for every taste.