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Christian Dior was a highly regarded fashion designer that paved the way for future generations. He was the founder, creator and designer of "Dior", a high fashion label. One that we all know and adore today. We have created a Timeline of his pivotal life as this month we celebrate the birth of Christian Dior himself.
Mary Carr Christian Dior was born in the French seaside town of Granville to an affluent family of agricultural industrialists.
Mary Carr When he was five, the Diors made the move to Paris.
Mary Carr Christian Dior in Villa Les Rhumbs garden photographed in the 1920s. *Musée Christian Dior collection, Granville.
Mary Carr He was the second of five children born to Alexandre Louis Maurice Dior, the owner of a highly successful fertilizer manufacturer, and his wife, Isabelle.
Mary Carr Dior always showed interest in art and originally planned to become an architect. However, as mentioned his family were motivated for him to study.
Mary Carr Dior studied Political Science at the Ecole des Sciences Politiques, with the intentions of eventually finding work as a diplomat.
Mary Carr Following the onset of the Great Depression in 1929, the death of both his mother and his brother, and the collapse of his father's business, Dior was forced to close his art gallery.
Mary Carr Christian Dior contracted tuberculosis.
Mary Carr Dior and Pierre Colle opened a gallery on Rue Cambacérès on the Right Bank in Paris. He was able to open the gallery with the financial support of his family. With the understanding that the family name would not appear in it. However, he was later forced to close the gallery in 1931.
Mary Carr Dior created the Café Anglais dress.
Mary Carr In 1938 he became an assistant designer for the leading couturier of Paris, Robert Piguet.
Mary Carr Dior paved the way for what would soon be a fashion empire.
Mary Carr During World War II, Dior served in the south of France, where he was an officer.
Mary Carr Dior then returned to Paris, where he was soon hired by couturier Lucien Lelon.
Mary Carr At the same time, Dior's younger sister Catherine joined the French Resistance, resulting in her capture by the Gestapo and subsequent imprisonment at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. She survived and was liberated in 1945.
Mary Carr Backed by a textile manufacturer and the richest entrepreneur of France, Marcel Boussac, Dior started his own fashion house, the "Dior House".
Mary Carr Dior showed his passion for art and his excellence over creating shapes and silhouettes. He introduced the ‘New Look’, replacing the fabric-conserving shapes of the World War II styles.
Mary Carr Dior presented his first collection under his own name. Winning the Neiman Marcus “fashion Oscar” in Dallas.
Mary Carr Christian Dior described this line as "the return to an ideal of civilised happiness".
Mary Carr Christian Dior establishes his first of many shops on Fifth Avenue in New York.
Mary Carr Dior arranged licensed production of things like furs, ties, and clothing in regionally seperate production centers.
Mary Carr Dior's first perfume, "Miss Dior" was launched. The product was named after Christian Dior's sister, Catherine Dior.
Mary Carr Dior receives the French Legion of Honor award for his role in the fashion and textile industry and presents a collection in London to Queen Elizabeth and Princess Margaret.
Mary Carr Dior is defined as golden. Dior as a girl's name is of French origin. Dior is related to the surname D'Or meaning "golden".
Mary Carr A publication in Vogue regarding Dior's rising popularity and success is pictured here. Dior played a pivtoal role in redefining women's style after years of war and restraint. Re-establishing Paris as the center of the fashion universe.
Mary Carr Staff levels at Christian Dior increased to over 900 people as the brand continued to grow and evolve.
Mary Carr The house opened a Victor Grandpierre-decorated boutique on the corner of Avenue Montaigne and Rue François I-er in Paris.
Mary Carr Yves Saint Laurent became Dior’s design assistant.
Mary Carr Yves Saint Laurent became creative director of the fashion house in place of Christian Dior. Yves Saint Laurent held this position until 1960, when he was drafted into the French army
Mary Carr Christian Dior makes the cover of Time magazine.
Mary Carr Dior traveled to Italy to vacation in the town of Montecatini. While there, he suffered his third heart attack and died, at the age of 52.
Mary Carr During this time he was dismissed from Dior by Rouët and replaced by Marc Bohan. Bohan proved very successful as Saint Laurent's replacement, defining a new era and new silhouette for Dior, the Slim Look, a more modern and svelte version of Dior's iconic shape.
Mary Carr In 1978, the Boussac Group filed for bankruptcy and its assets, including Dior, were sold to the Willot Group.
Mary Carr After it went into administration, Bernard Arnault and his investment group purchased the Willot Group's holdings for "one symbolic franc" in 1984.
Mary Carr In 1985, Arnault became chairman, CEO and managing director of Christian Dior.
Mary Carr Gianfranco Ferre was made stylistic director of Christian Dior in 1989, replacing Marc Bohan. He remained in this position until 1997.
Mary Carr John Galliano for The House of Dior, Spring/Summer 1997, Haute Couture.
Mary Carr John Galliano for Dior Couture show in 1997.
Mary Carr In 1997, Arnault appointed British designer John Galliano at creative director.
Mary Carr Galliano was creative director of Christian Dior until March 2011, when he was dismissed after being filmed slurring anti-Semitic remarks and allegedly assaulting a member of the public whilst heavily intoxicated in a Paris bar.
Raf Simons in 2012, took over as creative director.
Mary Carr After eight months of searching for a replacement for Raf Simons, the brand lands on a new Creative Director. Maria Grazia Chiuri, formerly of Valentino, accepts the position as the head of Dior.
Mary Carr In celebration of the 70th anniversary of the designer's first presentation, the National Gallery of Victoria in 2017 published The House of Dior: Seventy Years of Haute Couture.
Mary Carr Today, Maria continues to build and evovle Dior as it sits as she continues to provoke and inspire with collections that have elevated female artists, poets, and activists – as well as reinventing Dior signatures like the 'Bar' jacket and the 'Saddle' bag.