DIOR & I: INSIDE HAUTE COUTURE

BY: Dante Fresse

Dior and I is a 2014 documentary. It follows France’s Christian Dior design firm’s inner workings, where clothing is designed and sewn for wealthy clients under creative director Raf Simons (from Belgium). The company’s newest fashion designer had an eight-week window to put together the latest collection when the design and manufacturing timetable is usually five to six months. 

Frederic Tcheng directs this film.  Simons says his workers at the facility are “creating the fashion of tomorrow.” The time crunch throughout the film is front and center in interviews with Simons and his staff.  They also highlight Simons’s fashion philosophy and its minimalist style. Simons is set to take Dior in a new, sexy direction. 

The Dior brand echoes a modern approach to design. After the final presentation, Raf Simons thanks his staff, the seamstresses, and design team members with champagne. Throughout the documentary, the design process’s stress takes center stage, and the demands are emphasized as the tension builds. The fashion show itself is beautiful, filled with floral arrangements that cover the entire space. It is a documentary designed to inspire creativity.  It is a must-see for PROVOKRs.