“Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” moves to Tokyo. The exhibition celebrates the deep friendship between Dior and Japan, the French fashion house announced on Wednesday. The exhibition opened in Paris, the French designer’s adopted home, then moved to the V&A in London to explore Dior’s connection with British culture and is now traveling to the Japanese capital. “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” is housed at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo (MOT).
As previously in London, portions of Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams were reimagined for their stay in Japan. A “scenographic narrative that amounts to a homage to Japanese culture” by the architect Shohei Shigematsu of the New York agency OMA complements the exhibition designed by curator Florence Müller. Visitors are invited to explore the couturier’s life, his love of art and the relationship between Dior and the country of Japan – whose sense of excellence and detail he shared.
Dior and Japan – a dialogue
The retrospective reflects the dialogue between “the Japanese aesthetic and the inventiveness of the house of Dior” and shows the fashion of the house in combination with work by Japanese artists: inside. Works on paper by artist Ayumi Shibata are exhibited in an enchanted garden, while contemporary creations by the creative directors of the House of Dior are complemented with photographs by photographer Yuriko Takagi. The importance of the relationship is also made clear by means of archive documents and objects such as letters, sketches, but also various souvenirs.
“Christian Dior admired the Japanese for their ability to combine modernity and tradition,” says curator Florence Müller. “A story of mutual and deep admiration that linked Japan – the land of tradition and innovation – to the house, its retro -style revolutionized post-war fashion.The first contracts signed in 1953 between Dior and prestigious Japanese textile companies were also the beginning of a fruitful cultural and artistic dialogue that continues today with Maria Grazia Chiuri and this exhibition at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo .”
The exhibition “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Tokyo can be visited until May 28, 2023.