The History of Dior

The name Christian Dior is considered by many to be the
most recognized name in Fashion. Christian Dior was born in
1905 in the small town of Granville in Normandy, France.
Dior spent some time as an artist and launched a gallery in
1928, with generous financing by his father.

Hard times were just around the corner though. The Great
Depression resulted in the bankruptcy of the family
business, forcing them to sell virtually everything they
owned. Dior moved in with a friend and soon began directing
his attention to the Fashion Industry.

After being discharged from army service in 1940, he
returned to Paris in 1941 and secured employment with the
Fashion House of Lucien Lelong.

In 1946 Marcel Boussac, the richest man in the France at
the time, provided substantial financial backing for Dior
to launch his own Fashion House. Dior's first clothing line
released in 1947 was an overwhelming success, winning
favour for the designer, both in Europe and the distant USA.

Not surprisingly, in 1949 Dior established a presence in
New York and soon expanded again to London in 1952. Wider
global expansion followed shortly after.

In 1948 Dior launched a perfume line under the name of
Christian Dior Parfumes Ltd. While a 1950 decision to
expand the brand into fashion accessories like hats, ties
and handbags was unpopular in the French Chamber of
Couture, this move remains aa a major cornerstone of the
Company's present day success.

Dior was preparing for retirement when a heart attack took
his life in 1957.

In the chaos that followed, the fairly inexperienced Yves
Saint Laurent was promoted to the position of lead designer
for the Company. Saint Laurent met with mixed success
before military service forced him to leave Dior. His
successor, Marc Bohan, would remain with the company until
1989. Bohan is credited in many circles with the rescue of
the Dior brand.

The Boussac group, which was still in financial control of
the Dior Fashion Fouse, declared bankruptcy around 1984.
Dior was then acquired by a group of investors led by
Bernard Arnault. Arnault took an active part in the
direction Dior would take over the next few decades.

In 2001 the company decided to enter the men's fashion
market, and their first show led by the talents of former
Yves Saint Laurent designer Hedi Slimane was a huge
triumph! Despite some ups and downs over the years, Dior is
still considered as one of the most popular and innovative
Fashion Houses in the world.


About the Author:

Trevor Eastveld is an online marketer and owner of the
World's Largest Online Replica Designer Handbag Site.
http://www.laboutique.com.ph