Dior Talks

Welcome to ‘Feminism’, the new series of ‘Dior Talks’ podcasts, hosted by Justine Picardie. ‘Dior Talks’ creates fascinating spaces for expression, exploring the imaginations and discourses of the artists and thinkers who influence Maria Grazia Chiuri. ‘Feminism’ engages in dialogue with the women who have inspired the Creative Director of Women’s collections and taken part in bold, empowering collaborations with the House. An exceptional roster of guests shares the magic of their thinking and the key moments of their careers with biographer and journalist Justine Picardie.

In this second episode, Picardie talks to Robin Morgan, a hugely influential feminist theorist and much-published writer and journalist. Morgan has been a key figure in the women’s movement, both in the USA and internationally, since the early 1960s, and was also an early participant in the civil rights and anti-Vietnam War movements of the time. She is widely considered a crucial figure in the development of modern feminism and has been forming international networks of like-minded campaigners throughout her adult life.

Robin Morgan was born in Florida in 1941, to a single woman who had come south to avoid the censure surrounding unmarried motherhood. She spent her early years as a child model and actor, appearing regularly in TV shows. However, her desire to write led her away from her mother’s ambitions for her acting career and towards a degree at Columbia University. She worked as a secretary for a literary agent after college and married poet Kenneth Pitchford in 1962, with whom she had a son, the musician Blake Morgan.

At this time, Morgan became active in various leftwing movements, writing for radical publications such as ‘Liberation’ and ‘The National Guardian’. She joined the Civil Rights Movement and in 1967 co-founded the New York Radical Women group. In 1970, she published her first anthology of theoretical texts, ‘Sisterhood is Powerful’. Concurrently publishing volumes of poetry and works of fiction, she received a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in 1979 and has, to date, published 21 books of feminist theory, poetry and fiction and, including several years as editor-in-chief of Ms., has written for multiple newspapers and magazines in the USA and internationally. In 1984, she founded the Sisterhood is Global Institute with Simone de Beauvoir, and in 2005 co-founded the Women’s Media Center.

In this second episode of ‘Feminism’, Justine Picardie and Robin Morgan get right to the heart of the major concerns and challenges which have faced and continue to face feminist struggles internationally. Morgan reflects on the surprises and insights of having lived eight decades and recalls the injustices which women faced in their daily lives when she was young. They discuss the transition to post-feminism and the different approaches to women’s causes around the world. Morgan considers the ever-evolving relationship between feminism and the cultural left, and also the perennial hostility from the right. They also talk about Morgan and Maria Grazia Chiuri’s mutual admiration and budding friendship, and the unlikely but magical interaction of fashion and radical feminism which occurred when Chiuri chose to honor Morgan’s remarkable career at a special ceremony in February 2019 in Paris. Morgan has been a long-standing inspiration for the Creative Director of Women’s collections.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Welcome to ‘Feminism’, the new series of ‘Dior Talks’ podcasts, hosted by Justine Picardie. ‘Dior Talks’ creates fascinating spaces for expression, exploring the imaginations and discourses of the artists and thinkers who influence Maria Grazia Chiuri. ‘Feminism’ engages in dialogue with the women who have inspired the Creative Director of Women’s collections and taken part in bold, empowering collaborations with the House. An exceptional roster of guests shares the magic of their thinking and the key moments of their careers with biographer and journalist Justine Picardie.

Here, Picardie talks to Sharon Eyal, the highly esteemed dancer and choreographer, who directs the L-E-V Company, the unconventional yet rigorous dance troupe she founded with performance curator Gai Behar.  Trained in classical ballet, she swiftly developed her own uncompromised style early in her career. She has become known for an expansive range of reference, strongly defined aesthetics and complex choreography, has won numerous major awards for her work and performed with her company worldwide.

Sharon Eyal was born in Jerusalem, a self-described ‘hyperactive child’ until her parents signed her up for ballet lessons at the age of 4. From 1990 to 2008 she danced with the Batsheva Dance Company, founded by Martha Graham in 1964, and served as associate artistic director for the Batsheva Dancers Create program from 2005-12. Since its founding in 2013, L-E-V has been the arena for her profound, beguiling vision of choreography, with electronic music, fashion, contemporary art and club culture regular references. The company has performed at major venues such as the Joyce Theater, New York, and Sadler’s Wells, London, and international festivals including Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival, Montpellier Danse and Julidans.

In this first episode of ‘Feminism’, Justine Picardie, a longtime fan, asks Eyal about her unrelenting passion for dance and movement as they discuss the central themes of freedom, physicality and flight, both corporeal and emotional. Despite its grueling realities, dance has been a release for Eyal and, intriguingly, a centering source of calm. She talks about the connection she formed with Maria Grazia Chiuri collaborating on the Spring-Summer 2019 show at which Eyal’s dancers gave a remarkable performance, an experience repeated in ‘Disturbing Beauty’, the film that presented the Autumn-Winter 2021-2022 collection. Eyal finds huge inspiration in Maria Grazia Chiuri’s designs and recognizes the importance of female movement, female expression and, most crucially, female liberation in the women’s collections.

Hosted on Ausha. See ausha.co/privacy-policy for more information.

Welcome to the Dior Talks series themed around the 5th edition of Dior Lady Art and hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this year’s event, ten artists and collectives from around the world have participated in a game of metamorphosis by rendering the iconic Lady Dior handbag as a unique piece of art.

Today’s guest, the Chinese artist Song Dong, is known for works that reflect on memories that are intrinsic to everyday objects, and the emotions we project on them. One example is windows, the main theme of his Lady Dior bags, a reference to a monumental structure made from old, discarded windows collected in the streets of Beijing that also reveals “reclaimed value.”

The large version of the Window Bag features a colorful grid of miniature windows that act as both a window into the soul and onto the world, with shiny mirrors creating a kaleidoscopic effect. The artist’s idea is that its owner may see herself and the world reflected in it, a means of self-discovery and of reinforcing the bag’s function as a portable piece of art. In addition to the world it holds within, the bag offers an interaction with the outside world, changing according to the light, shadows, places and faces.

Listen to this episode to find out more about the fascinating universe of an artist for whom “art is life, and life is art.” 

Discover Song Dong’s creations :https://youtu.be/i-2FEcVwarc

Welcome to the Dior Talks series themed around the 5th edition of Dior Lady Art and hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this year’s event, ten artists and collectives from around the world have participated in a game of metamorphosis by rendering the iconic Lady Dior handbag as a unique piece of art.

Trans-culturalism, identity and spirituality are key sources of inspiration for our latest guest on the series, Olga Titus. For her reinterpretation of the iconic bag, the Swiss-Malaysian artist gathered elements that trigger emotion and explored the concept of cultural “in-betweenness.” This “third space” is one she knows well, and it serves as a conduit for cultural exchange inspired by the Indian theorist Homi K. Bhabha.

“In my artistic work I encircle a cosmos, a galaxy in which self and external perception, biographical elements and cultural identity are reflected and represented in all their facets,” says the artist, whose creative process can be likened to building a cabinet of curiosities. One case in point: a floral rug in her atelier became the basis for one of her Lady Dior bags, and also references Monsieur Dior’s love of gardens. An assortment of mini masks creates an emotional “community” around the bag.  

Tune in to this episode to learn more about how Titus approached the Lady Dior, using her signature sequin works as a starting point, and how she incorporated harlequin effects and a kaleidoscope of glass beads to create craft-intensive masterpieces that showcase embroidery at its most extreme. 

Discover Olga Titus’ creations :https://youtu.be/A5-knt4E1vY

Welcome to the Dior Talks series themed around the 5th edition of Dior Lady Art and hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this year’s event, ten artists and collectives from around the world have participated in a game of metamorphosis by rendering the iconic Lady Dior handbag as a unique piece of art.

Reinventing tradition and questioning modernity is a creative signature for our latest guest, the multidisciplinary Swiss artist Mai-Thu Perret whose sources of inspiration range from modernist art to literature, historical costume, the occult, and notions of community and utopia as seen through a feminist prism.

The Geneva-based artist studied English literature at the University of Cambridge and worked for several artists including the late New York-based painter Steven Parrino before attending the Independent Study Program at the Whitney Museum of American Art. She credits her experience working as a curator and art critic with influencing her process and her interest in narrative. 

For her reinterpretations of the Lady Dior, Perret textured the body of the bag with shaggy long-pile tapestry and precious glass bead embroidery in geometric motifs inspired by the German thinker Friedrich Fröbel, whose pictograms were used in kindergarten classrooms in the 19th century, reflecting her fascination with graphic alphabets and languages while nodding to the fashion lexicon and the symbolism of the logo. Made using Venetian jewelry-making techniques, her small enamel versions of the Dior charms resemble “little bones.”

Tune in to hear all about Perret’s exploration of the “chameleon-like” Lady Dior, and the playful, unexpected side she discovered in the classic “ladylike” icon.

Discover Mai Thu Perret’s creations :https://youtu.be/wo-_ZS24dJk

Welcome to the Dior Talks series themed around the 5th edition of Dior Lady Art and hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. Ten artists and collectives from around the world have participated in a game of metamorphosis by rendering the iconic Lady Dior handbag as a unique piece of art.

In our latest episode, LA-based French painter Claire Tabouret discusses exploring a new territory of creation within the constraints of the bag’s frame through her captivating hallmark fusion of classical, romantic and hypermodern references. On the artist’s creations, a Degas-like dance scene is offset with faux fur and a glow-in-the-dark handle and charms, while her playful self-portrait as a vampire with a blood-stained mouth has dark undertones, with the mysterious, floatingquality of her paintings and expressive brushstrokes transposed onto the bags. “The image of a vampire is your way of thinking about the creation process, being a sponge, absorbing everything around you. It has a slightly dangerous aspect,” says the artist.

Recalling Fauvist painters like Henri Matisse and André Derain, Tabouret’s signature clashing of natural and synthetic shades comesthrough in the contrast of Impressionist tones with touches of acid green and citrine yellow.

Tune into this fascinating episode to learn more about the parallels between Tabouret’s Dior Lady Art journey and her own approach to painting, as well as her growing appetite for creating wearable art. 

Discover Claire Tabouret’s creations :https://youtu.be/j1uHnrhf-wU

Welcome to the Dior Talks series themed around the 5th edition of Dior Lady Art and hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this year’s event, ten artists and collectives from around the world have participated in a game of metamorphosis by rendering the iconic Lady Dior handbag as a unique piece of art.

Today’s guest, Delhi-based feminist artist Bharti Kher, discusses the symbolism of the bindi, an emblem of the third eye and the common thread in her creative universe, and explains how she used this traditional Indian sign and its inherent codes, language and poetry to transform the iconic Lady Dior bag.

“When I work with the bindis, I take something that is a representation and a sign, and then I just run with it,” says the artist who, for this collaboration, created two bags with different “energies” — one featuring an explosion of fiery red bindis, which “is about a night out with my girlfriends,” and a quieter, more sophisticated version.  Explosions of snake bindis — incarnations of life force, transformation and healing — create hypnotic wave movements over the handbag.

Tune in to hear all about the journey behind Bharti Kher’s fun, colorful and irreverent spin on a House icon. 

Discover Bharti Kher’s creations :https://youtu.be/VjP2lG6Jb0M

Welcome to the Dior Talks series themed around the 5th edition of Dior Lady Art and hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this year’s event, ten artists and collectives from around the world have participated in a game of metamorphosis by rendering the iconic Lady Dior handbag as a unique piece of art.

“Hacking reality” is the motto of Recycle Group’s Georgy Kuznetsov and Andrey Blokhin, who in this episode discuss transposing the Lady Dior into the digital era.

The Russian artistic duo is known for deconstructing pillars of artistic culture, like a statue from antiquity or in this case the Lady Dior bag, and bringing them back to life in the virtual world, juxtaposing classical and contemporary iconography. Longtime collaborators of Dior, the fusional creatives have been friends since they were kids, hanging out in their parents’ art studios in early post-Soviet artist residencies.

In their new interpretation of the House icon, the bag’s classical quilted cannage motif is distorted into a hypnotic trompe-l’œil vortex and waves recalling glitches or a Snapchat filter, and the letter charms are morphed and twisted. 

The eyelets are also altered, and the charms appear to be entirely swallowed by the whirlwind forms, seemingly projecting the bag into the digital realm. “We liked the idea of combining two realities,” explains Blokhin of a fascinating creative vision positioned on reality’s final frontiers.

Discover Chris Soal’s creations : https://youtu.be/K5shObQUjoA

Welcome to the Dior Talks series themed around the 5th edition of Dior Lady Art and hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this year’s event, ten artists and collectives from around the world have participated in a game of metamorphosis by rendering the iconic Lady Dior handbag as a unique piece of art.

Sharing the mic in our latest episode is the artist Chris Soal, an emerging talent who was born in 1994, the year the Lady Dior was created. Based in Johannesburg, South Africa, he is known for amorphous wall sculptures made from recycled single-use items, with influences ranging from the Arte Povera movement to African totems and the treasures of nature.

With a Midas-like touch, the artist transforms mundane objects into rich, sensual works that challenge conventional notions of value, a concept he transposed onto textured Lady Dior bags covered in bottle tops bent like cowrie shells or furry swaths of toothpicks evoking couture embroidery.

One might compare the painstaking handicraft of his work to the elaborate construction of the Lady Dior bag itself, which is assembled from 144 pieces. The story behind its signature cannage motif — borrowed from the Napoleon III seats Monsieur Dior used to seat guests at his haute couture presentations at 30 Avenue Montaigne — echoes his processes of observation and application.

Tune in to hear Soal discuss the experience of fusing the haute and the humble in his reinvention of the Lady Dior bag as well as its charms, including turning the letter “O” into a bottle opener. 

Discover Chris Soal’s creations :https://youtu.be/mWHNIigfA54

Welcome to the Dior Talks series themed around the 5th edition of Dior Lady Art and hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman. For this year’s event, ten artists and collectives from around the world have participated in a game of metamorphosis by rendering the iconic Lady Dior handbag as a unique piece of art.

Joining us on the podcast today is Gisela Colon, whose creative universe and spark comes from tapping into different geographic locations, from Puerto Rico, where she grew up, to the Californian desert and the whirling metropolis of Los Angeles, her adopted hometown.

In this fascinating deep dive, the artist discusses the underlying concept of her two ‘Lady Dior’ bags, which are based on the Eastern philosophy of balance. “The concept of yin and yang, night and day, on complementary opposites,” as the artist puts it — as well as duality in the physical world, like Earth and outer space, and the past and the future.

Inspired by the El Yunque National Forest tropical rainforest in Puerto Rico, Gisela’s ‘Amazonia’ take on the Lady Dior features a central green spheroid that, the artist says, emits a special energy imbued with the spirit of the “plants, animals, and the generations that lived before us.”

Crafted from holographic iridescent leather, her spellbinding ‘Stardust’ Lady Dior channels the Space Age, the future, magic and intergalactic travels to the “wonders that lie beyond the Earth.” One of her biggest fantasies? Taking the Lady Dior to the moon.

Discover Gisela Colon’s creations : https://youtu.be/etbtVWFMIgA