Dior’s Cruise 2021 Show Was An Ode To Culture and Community

Dior’s Cruise 2021, initially planned to have taken place in May, was held at the Piazza del Duomo in Lecce, Italy, on July 22nd, with a small group of friends and family of the brand attending in person, with the rest of the world invited to stream the show online earlier at 2.45am Singapore Time. 

The decision to hold the show was a deeply personal one, and one close to Maria Grazia Chiuri’s heart, transforming the fashion show to a cultural experience that celebrated not just  fashion, but the music, art, tradition, and sense of community that was brought about by Lecce. The result was a show that brought about joy, nostalgia and warmth -- certainly what we need the most in these uncertain times. 

The house collaborated with a series of talented artisans and local artists to stage the collection, as a champion of region’s craftspeople. The setting was illuminated by Marinella Senatore's Luminarie,some of which were reproduced in the collection’s prints, set to the rhythms of a cathartic dance by the La Notte della Taranta Foundation, choreographed by Sharon Eyal; with the music of Paolo Buonvino in the background -- and perhaps most impressive of all, all accomplished in the midst of a shutdown. It is this localism, craftsmanship, created during a time of social isolation that has given the collection its own unique appeal.

In a subtle tribute to local savoir-faire, Dior silhouettes bear the motto of the workshops at the Costantine Foundation – “Amando e Cantando*,” which translates to “Loving and Singing”

The collection was a melding of haute and modest. Artist Pietro Ruffo imagined a field with a constellation of wheat sheaves that evoked a summer landscape on a fresh interpretation of the iconic Miss Dior dress from 1949,  nature is transposed onto shirts and shorts, dresses are punctuated with flowers and butterflies, and with the Tombolo, a precious traditional embroidery courtesy of Marilena Sparasci -- all emblems of Puglia’s rich heritage.