For her fall show inspired by world mythology, Maria Grazia Chiuri collaborated with Italian artist Marta Roberti and engaged the talents of 360 Indian artisans.
Maria Grazia Chiuri is breaking down the exclusive barriers of Paris couture. Over the last three years, the creative director of Dior has embarked on an ambitious series of collaborations involving global contemporary artists and artisans from Mumbai’s Chanakya embroidery atelier. Their goal? To transform her couture catwalks into public art installations. The Fall 2023 couture collection, featuring nine large fabric panels adorned with goddess drawings by Italian artist Marta Roberti, meticulously crafted in thread by Indian artisans, is the latest manifestation of this artistic venture. This continues the pattern set by previous collaborations with Judy Chicago (Spring 2020), Madhvi and Manu Parekh (Spring 2022), Eva Jospin (Fall 2022), and Mickalene Thomas (Spring 2023). The couture collection will be showcased in the gardens of Musée Rodin until July 9.
Chiuri’s latest couture collection builds upon Dior’s groundbreaking pre-fall show in Mumbai earlier this year. For that event, Chanakya artisans created a monumental toran door hanging that adorned the Gateway of India, showcasing Chiuri’s ongoing dedication to spotlighting the importance of Indian craftsmanship within a historic French luxury brand. While many European fashion houses have discreetly relied on specialized embroidery work by Indian artisans, Chiuri stands out by openly celebrating these enduring collaborations in couture and beyond.
“The Gateway show for us was truly a momentous coming together of so many shared values,” says Karishma Swali, the director of the Chanakya atelier, who first crossed paths with Chiuri during Chiuri’s tenure as a designer at Fendi and Valentino. “It arose from a deep reverence for craft, something that I’ve shared with Maria Grazia for many, many years.”
The process of creating a Dior couture set spans approximately six months, from conceptualization to the grand unveiling. To complement Chiuri’s sophisticated fall silhouettes, including tunics, maxi dresses, and jackets structured with folds beneath the chest to evoke classical statuary, Roberti crafted densely layered images, merging female deities from both ancient and contemporary cultures. Among them are the Mycenaean goddess Potnia Theron, the Mesopotamian goddess Ishtar, the Phrygian goddess Cybele, the Aztec goddess Coatlicue, and the Hindu goddess Durga, often accompanied by leopards, bulls, snakes, and other animals.
Next, Swali’s team undertook the intricate creative task of translating Roberti’s metallic and opaque pigments on rice paper into embroidery thread on fabric. “The process begins with really understanding the DNA of the artist and exploring ways to be able to translate their language from the paint brush to the needle,” Swali explains.