The Seoul runway show showcasing the Fall 2022 collection was the French fashion house’s first runway show in South Korea. The collection aimed to promote gender equality through the creativity of fashion – a message dear to artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri.
The fashion show was held at Ewha Womans University in Seoul, capital of South Korea, on Saturday. “The transmission of know-how, education and fraternity have always been core values at the heart of Dior culture. Today, more than ever, we must enable the young generation of women to become the talents of tomorrow,” said Pietro Beccari, President and CEO of Christian Dior Couture in a statement. “Ewha Womans University is the ideal partner to achieve this goal.”
For the fall 2022 collection, Chiuri looked at school uniforms and how female students breathe new life into them through individual design – bordering on punk outfits. Pleated skirts and black-and-white and yellow-and-white kilts illustrate the partnership with Ewha Womans University. “By working with Dior on an industrial and academic level, including an internship program, the students can develop their skills, play their roles and take on responsibilities,” says Eun Me Kim, President of Ewha Womans University.
Ties as a sign of female empowerment
Chiuri presented boyish outfits and ties in the collection – a thoroughly male accessory. The looks consisted mainly of white blouses and black ties, combined with roomy skirts, bike shorts and miniskirts, but also with roomy coats that seemed borrowed from the male wardrobe and with the masculine interpretation of the signature Dior Bar jacket, the originally designed by Christian Dior in a feminine, fitted version.
To represent the dimension of women’s participation and their role as a creative force in the Dior universe, Chiuri transformed the well-known Dior book tote into a version that read “L’Union Fait la Force” (Union Fait la Force).
Finally, Maria Grazia Chiuri showed off a range of evening dresses designed specifically for the show: exposed bras, lace, animal prints, and the signature volume that founder Christian Dior was known for – the fall 2022 show finale was the best Proof that woman, however contemporary, will always be the product of poetic vision.
This translated and edited post previously appeared on FashionUnited.fr. Translation and editing: Karenita Haalck