A NEW ERA AT DIOR: WHAT COMES NEXT FOR THE HOUSE?
words by NATALIE GAL
edited by MAREK BARTEK
May 27, 2025 marked Maria Grazia Chiuri’s last runway show in Rome with Dior. A celebration of her birthplace, the eternal city, and her era-defining work as the creative director of Dior.
“Monsieur Dior only [lived] 10 years. It can’t only be about him! In some ways, I see myself as a curator of the house,” shared Chiuri at her Dior debut show. Over the course of her nine-year leadership, Chiuri not only lived up to the immense expectations of the historic maison but also made her mark in ways that were unmistakably her own.
She reframed Dior through a lens of modern womanhood and activism, often merging fashion with feminist discourse. Her runway collections regularly featured collaborations with female artists, writers, and artists; not to mention her use of powerful slogans, such as “We Should All Be Feminists”. Under Maria Grazia Chiuri’s leadership, Dior’s couture sales skyrocketed from €2.2 billion in 2017 to €9.5 billion in 2023, marking a period of extraordinary commercial growth. She undeniably left a distinctive legacy, not just in creative direction and fashion, but in how we perceive the industry itself.
Rome’s Cruise 2026 show was a bittersweet goodbye – a reminder of what Dior is truly about: an ethereal, timeless elegance that has endured since the house’s founding in December of 1946. Maria Grazia Chiuri became a symbol of that elegance herself, an artist who captured beauty and femininity while embodying the strength and confidence of a modern, independent woman.
credits: Dior
credits: DIOR by Adrien Dirand
I can’t help but wonder: what comes next for Dior? But before we look to the future, I feel we must look back. Yves Saint Laurent became Dior’s successor at just 21, known for his iconic "Trapeze" silhouette and for quickly bringing a fresh, young energy to the classic fashion house. John Galliano led the house from 1997 to 2011 with theatricality and avant-garde flair that revitalized Dior’s global image. Chiuri’s predecessor, Raf Simons, was reshaping the house’s visual language until 2015, introducing a minimalist, modern aesthetic defined by clarity and purity of form.
Two distinct patterns emerge among Dior’s creative directors. First, each brought a vision that defined the aesthetic of their era: Saint Laurent’s "Trapeze" moulded 50s and 60s fashion; Marc Bohan’s "Slim Look" defined the understated elegance of the 90s; and of course, Christian Dior’s "New Look" reshaped postwar femininity.
Yves Saint Laurent’s Dior "Trapeze" shape dress
source via pinterest.com
The second, more subtle similarity lies not in nationality, aesthetics, work ethics or philosophy – but in gender. Until Chiuri, every creative director of Dior was a man. For a brand that has so deeply shaped the female image, ideals of beauty, and the narrative of femininity in fashion, it is a striking paradox. This is not to discount in any way the legacy of those men; their contributions are iconic, and they proved that men can indeed grasp, respect, and creatively express the female experience. But Chiuri brought something different, something only a woman could: the female gaze, the female touch itself.
Now, as Dior turns a new page, the spotlight is once again on the discourse surrounding the role of female leadership in fashion, and rightfully so. Earlier this month, Jonathan Anderson was appointed as the house’s sole creative director, overseeing women’s, men’s, and haute couture collections – a role not unified under one individual since Christian Dior himself.
Dior’s NEW LOOK via vogue.com
Anderson is undoubtedly a strong and well-considered choice. According to Bernard Arnault, Dior’s CEO: “Jonathan Anderson is one of the greatest creative talents of his generation. His incomparable artistic signature will be a crucial asset in writing the next chapter of the history of the house of Dior.” Anderson has previously worked as creative director of Loewe while he also focused on his own brand JW Anderson.
His work at Loewe was fresh, cosmopolitan, and consistently unexpected, always pushing boundaries and redefining our concepts of fashion. Undoubtedly one of the greatest designers on the scene today, his artistic vision matches his ambition, positioning him to achieve something truly remarkable. However, the pressure at Dior is immense. Leading the house means more than guiding a brand; it means shaping the direction of global fashion itself. Like his predecessors, he must now find his voice, his defining design and aesthetic. On June 27th, he will debut his first men’s collection for Dior, and we simply cannot wait to see what he brings to the runway.
