Feminism under Dior by Maria Grazia Chiuri is not new. Ever since she took the artistic helm of the French powerhouse, MGC has consistently partnered with female artists, mainly for the experiential and scenographic aspects of her shows.
From Judy Chicago to Mariella Bettineschi, MGC has been partnering with women artists season after season. As a result, she has infused a new element in Dior’s DNA: putting women’s voices front and center. She has also demonstrated her strong affinities with Italian photographer Brigitte Niedermair, with whom the Dior house has been collaborating since MGC’s arrival. Indeed, some of the items that went down the runway featured a stylized Eiffel Tower shot by her.
At the end of the day, MGC does what men have been doing since forever: she trusts and works with people she connects with based on cultural and intrinsic similarities, Italian women. And who are we to blame her.
The SS24 show featured a set designed in collaboration with Elena Bellantoni, an Italian artist who got inspired by sexist advertisements from the 70s. In her work “NOT HER”, the artist reinterpreted the slogans from the original advertisements with a feminist twist, including “Unlike My Mother, I Have a Choice” or “You Rule, I Resist, You Believe To Be While I Exist”.
Through this lens, MGC focuses on the female gaze, a reference to the fact that most masterpieces were made for the male gaze and that not only beauty standards but subject matters, angles and sensibilities were conceived and carried out by men for men. “When I look at the images of Mr. Dior’s work, I remind myself that they were done probably with a male gaze. I want to translate this with a view that’s more contemporary” said the designer.
MGC produces clothes designed by a woman, for women. The sobriety of the pieces contrasts heavily with the bright neon pink and yellow of the installation, that seems like an obvious reference to the Guerrilla Girls, a collective of women artists and activists that was created in 1985 to call out inequalities in the art world and in institutions. Born in the US, it spread globally as one of the first organized initiative to underline the sexism and racism in the art world.
Like Elena Bellantoni, they used culture jamming in order to subvert the popular discourse and serve their interests. While the Guerrilla Girls used statistics and numbers from their time, by using 70s ads, Bellatoni underlines how relevant the fight still is today. With MGC, she focuses on transforming stereotypical ideas that still plague our societies and the fashion industry.
While MGC’s discourse at Dior might seem repetitive, it shows the commitment of the brand towards more gender equality and goes beyond a one season message that is only about increasing sales or helping a brand’s image. The brand is truly trying to instigate a paradigm shift and consistency is key when it comes to moving the lines.
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