Ukraine art in Dior’s Paris couture

Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri has found her answer to the real meaning of haute couture at a time when world is struggling the impact of Russian invasion on Ukraine, pandemic and looming global recession. Her answer is “to reimagine a better tomorrow”, and to create a “bridge between the savoir-faire of different cultures to bring something meaningful collectively”.

This led to the Monday’s couture show of Dior in Paris, the centre piece of which was the backdrop – the floor-to-ceiling artworks which beautifully lined the Musée Rodin in Paris. This represented a series of joyful and innocent interpretations of the “tree of life” which was laden with flowers, fruits and birds.

Dior’s “tree of life” theme

These works that perfectly represent “womankind, the continuation of life and a bright future”, according to Dior which is the historic French fashion house and a pioneer in the industry, were by the Kyiv-based artist Olesia Trofymenko. “I like the symbolism of the tree of life a lot,” Chiuri said backstage before the show, wearing her famous “We should all be feminists” T-shirt paired with a black trouser suit. “It means this idea of the circle of life.”

The “tree of life theme” was picked up with full-skirted maxi dresses in the collection in cream, taupe, red tartan and black, which were hand-embroidered with nature motifs beautifully inspired by Trofymenko’s artwork from Kyiv.

Dior building a bridge between cultures

What appealed to Chiuri and inspired her to bring it to the haute couture was the fact that the tree of life is a symbol which is present in many cultures. With this she wants to highlight her ambition to create a “universal decorative language, a new peace-building, hope-lending universal folklore”. “It’s important to have this dialogue and to share these skills,” she said. “When you work by hand, you are close to humanity.”