Dior new world

After the new look, there is the new world for Dior. «Breaking records is in our dna». Words of Pietro Beccari, chairman and ceo of Christian Dior couture, which is taking over Harrods in London with a maxi event, while preparing to have a fashion show under the pyramids in Egypt and bring a mega exhibition to Tokyo. The digital world? «In 2023, you will see a very innovative project. And we have operations on the supply chain in Italy and France in mind», the manager anticipated in an exclusive interview with MFF. An opportunity to take stock of his first five years at the helm of the label and his relationship with the three creatives who animate it, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Kim Jones and Victoire de Castellane. An approach that starts from heritage and history in order to give life to the new phenomenon of fashion that makes culture. And when it comes to the challenge of growth with competitors, Beccari does not shy away: «I do not think there is a financial limit to growth».

Two pop-up stores, 44 storefronts, one exhibition, one takeover: are you happy to be in London?

Yes, very much. I must say I am also very proud. We are proud of what we have done with Harrods. We are proud that we have created a new record. A record that is hard to break.

What is the next record to break?

We live in the day and still have a lot of things to tackle between now and the end of the year, such as the fashion show in Egypt (see MFF of September 20) and the exhibition in Japan (see MFF of October 11).

When the lockdown happened, one thought that physical events would take a back seat, but instead...

I never thought that physical events would take a back seat, starting with the press conference done with Maria Grazia (Chiuri, ed.) in may 2020 for the fashion show in Lecce. My designers and I have always said that. This is another demonstration that the metaverse exists and we deal with it, we have important resources, artificial intelligence... But for Dior, the physical experience is also important. With the Avenue Montaigne store, we have built the «antimetaverse»...

And what are you preparing in the digital field?

Probably next year we are coming up with something very innovative. But from my point of view, it is not a priority for Dior.

Do you see a new phenomenon? Fashion making culture?

I think culture is many things. Fashion brands and artists have a power that we do not have, which is to influence public opinion and make culture. Their job is to create insights, marketing insights as they teach you at Procter&Gamble, which is sudden awareness, you realize you want something you do not need...

Is working with artists a form of patronage?

It is. There is this power that we get from being all over the world, from being very profitable, I do not hide that. However, we also use this power to do interesting work. Artisans, all this craftsmanship supported by us during Covid-19 as well as now that we are acquiring small companies in Italy. All this is selfishness, but it is also perpetuating tradition, it is sustainability. This is also culture.

You used an expression that can be scary at times: «The power of being profitable...»

I do not think it is shameful, we have a major shareholder. Our main duty is to make turnover, and you can do it in many ways. Unsustainably, as they say, by squeezing the cow and then leaving it. Or by building for the future and conveying certain messages like when we go to visit Spain, Morocco, Egypt, where we leave something positive that was not there before.

There are rumors about important announcements of strong growth by your competitors. Some are aiming for 15 billion (such as Gucci, ed.)…

The market continues to reward us, but we all fear the coming recession. Therefore, we are a little cautious for the future. So far, we have done well. We do not know how long it will last.

What does the term recession conjure up for you? Does it make you think of changing your strategy?

We try to be loyal to our strategy during a crisis, as we did during the pandemic. So actually no, the world is an unsafe place and there will be cyclical hard times as we experienced, after the pandemic, and then there are months of rebirth. Hopefully, there will be another rebirth and this war will end soon.

From recession to inflation. What will happen to prices? Many competitors are increasing them…

Yes, we increased prices in January and a little bit also in July. We will see: if we can afford not to increase them, then we will not increase them. It is a matter of being able to ensure some profitability.

You were talking about the supply chain earlier. Do you have any acquisitions coming up?

I do not want to make them public yet, but we are partnering with several Italian and French companies to be able to integrate small family businesses that can guarantee punctuality and know-how but also quantities to be produced. It is a way to protect the price as well.

What is the future of Dior?

It is an extraordinary moment; it has had five extraordinary years. Seeing the size of some of our competitors, I do not think there is a financial limit to growth. If you do it sensibly, you do not push it too hard and take advantage of it. I think it is a company that has a sophisticate elegance, not too tied to the season, and that is the way we want to go going forward. We will open a few stores a year. We have 250, the competitors have twice as many…

What do Maria Grazia Chiuri, Kim Jones and Victoire de Castellane give you as creatives?

It is difficult to determine, each has their own immense qualities and sensibility. I think each in their own way is brilliant, and I believe nobody has a team of three creatives like this one. We have an organized chaos. I always say you have to put some chaos into your business, never be sure of anything, and ask yourself a lot of questions. Maybe that is the big secret… (All rights reserved)

Dior dresses up Harrods in London for the holidays

Until January 3, 2023, Dior lights up Harrods with the fabulous world of Dior. With 44 windows, two pop-ups, two temporary stores dedicated to beauty, a café and a special exhibition, the Lvmh maison celebrates the holidays. For the occasion, the façade of the Brompton road building is decorated with an installation illuminated by a play of lights that showcase the iconic icons of the maison, reinterpreted by artist Pietro Ruffo. The compass rose, lucky star and iridescent flowers thus greet visitors to the department store, while the windows host a gingerbread-themed tableau. Inside there are two spaces that respectively house a reconstruction of Monsieur Dior’s atelier and Maria Grazia Chiuri’s cruise 2023 collection. Then, Victoire de Castellane’s capsule for La rose Dior collection will be unveiled for the first time, while Kim Jones’ menswear is reinterpreted with Harrods’ aesthetic codes. A celebration of end-of-year holiday magic that, for the first time in the department store’s history, features a luxury brand. Among the initiatives, the fashion house conceived an exhibition revisiting the tradition of gingerbread houses declined on the architecture of the brand’s most emblematic locations, from Granville to La Colle Noire. (All rights reserved)