How to Dior: Christian Dior and His Successors

Alongside original designs from the collection of the Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts), this exhibition features works by students at Berlin’s Macromedia University of Applied Sciences. Around 10 professors and 100 students from the bachelor programmes in Fashion Design, Fashion Management, Acting, and Communication Design are participating in this collaborative exhibition.

This special presentation was spurred by recent accessions of Dior creations to the collection of the Kunstgewerbemuseum.

Through these new acquisitions and gifts, it is now possible to embark on a chronological journey through the history of this prominent fashion label. Beginning with the early designs by Christian Dior, the show then moves onto designs by his successors, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré and John Galliano, which are being presented to the public for the first time. The highlight of the exhibition in the Kunstgewerbemuseum’s Modekabinett, which comprises some 28 objects, is an acquisition from 2019, an evening gown from the autumn/winter collection of 1951 called Mexique, which is adorned with layer upon layer of glass beads.

The Couturier Christian Dior

From the moment his first collection was unveiled in 1947 – released after the long years of austerity brought on by the war – the name Christian Dior (b. 1905 in Granville, France) was the talk of the town. With his “Corolle” line, which showcased a figure-hugging silhouette with a narrow waist and billowing skirts, a levity that had previously been lost was returned to fashion – the “new look” had arrived. In the decades that followed, Dior’s collections continued to determine fashion trends. After his sudden death in 1957, Yves Saint Laurent took the reins of the label. He interpreted Dior’s legacy with his own revolutionary signature style and established the point of departure for his successor. To this day, the company shapes the course of fashion, and with its head designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, it produces must-haves for fashionistas, season after season.

Exhibition Collaboration with Students

Students at Macromedia University of Applied Sciences are developing fashion designs, social media concepts and interdisciplinary exhibition formats relating to Christian Dior. In the field of fashion design, students examine Dior’s various creative directors and successors, develop new visions or devise a collection in design teams of two to five members. The work extends from the outfit’s conceptualisation to its production, emphasising the garment’s fabrication. The course in Communication Design focuses on how to use social media to effectively accompany the presentation of Dior’s original designs and the students’ current interpretations. The Fashion Management course employs virtual and real exhibition spaces to establish connections to current urban trends in Berlin. The objective is to inspire young audiences for Dior’s design ideas. The best works will be included in the exhibition and the best communication concepts implemented jointly with the Kunstgewerbemuseum.

The collaboration began with a digital lecture by exhibition curator Katrin Lindemann in early April 2021 attended by over a hundred students. Several groups of students also visited the museum’s storage facility and studied the cuts and restoration of the Dior dresses. A social media workshop is also planned.

Additional information on course offerings is available on the Macromedia University website.

A special presentation of the Kunstgewerbemuseum – Staatliche Museen zu Berlin and the Macromedia University