A collaboration between Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of Dior, and Mumbai-based non-profit Chanakya School of Craft, it’s the first time a European luxury mega brand will host a standalone show in India
On Thursday, all eyes will be at Mumbai’s Gateway of India as luxury giant Dior holds its pre-fall 2023 show against the historic backdrop.
A collaboration between Maria Grazia Chiuri, the creative director of Dior, and Mumbai-based non-profit Chanakya School of Craft, it’s the first time a European luxury mega brand will host a standalone show in India.
The collection, which will be available in stores in April-end, is likely to feature silk dresses and sari-inspired skirts referencing traditional Indian silhouettes.
Grazia Chiuri has been working closely with the Chanakya School of Craft — a non-profit founded by Karishma Swali that empowers female artisans and preserves the crafts that are part of India’s cultural heritage — on embroideries for its craft-centric collections for a long time now.
“I personally wanted to celebrate and showcase the incredible knowledge India offers to the international world of fashion in the field of embroidery, the mastery of the artisans who continue to work on this craft, and the commitment of Chanakya’s founders to preserving India’s history and culture, portrayed by each embroidery technique,” said Grazia Chiuri in an Instagram post.
Last year, the School brought to life artist couple Manu and Madhvi Parekh’s artworks through 3D hand embroideries for the Dior Spring-Summer 2022 collection where the artworks featured as wall hangings.
Grazia Chiuri has engaged with local artisans from around the world to inspire and even produce limited-edition designs for Dior’s cruise collections, which she has staged in Morocco, Greece and Spain.
While India’s luxury market continues to be small, it is growing. As per data presented by Euromonitor International, the Indian luxury goods market which is an aggregation of personal luxury, fine wines and spirits, luxury automobiles and experiential luxury, was worth Rs 5,676.41 crore in 2019. It fell to Rs 3,278.90 crore in 2020 and has now bounced back to Rs 4,609.85 crore in 2022. It is likely to increase to Rs 6,282 crore in 2024.