When the Lady Dior bag was unveiled by the maison in 1995, it was an overnight style triumph. It was covetable, practical and instantly recognisable from its square silhouette to the ‘cannage’ stitching — inspired by the Napoleon III chairs upon which Christian Dior would seat his guests during couture shows.
This season, Dior has given the bag a new look, fusing its classic shape with colour palettes and bold patterns imagined by seven contemporary artists.
From December 10, Dubai’s Mall of the Emirates boutique will house Lady Dior bags created by Mat Collishaw, Ian Davenport, Marc Quinn and Jason Martin from the United Kingdom and Matthew Porter, Chris Martin and Daniel Gordon from the United States.
The artists were given free rein to put their personal stamp on a signature bag, clutch and silk scarf in the limited edition line, which will only be exhibited in six countries worldwide. Respected photographer, painter, sculptor and installation artist Collishaw embraced Dior’s brief with gusto and created pieces inspired by nature.
“I knew that I wanted something that was exquisite and had texture,” says 50-year-old Collishaw. “So, I went for a series of works that were essentially colour punched into dark backgrounds — bodies of moths and butterflies. I started putting those images on the shape of the bag, trying to find a composition that worked, then we printed them onto various materials — velvet and leathers.”
High-definition butterflies-in-flight adorn the glazed leather of Collishaw’s Lady Dior bags, offset by black velvet eyelets and charms spelling out the brand’s name.
“I like looking at images that are about the real world,” he says. “People and trees — that’s the stuff we’ve been looking at for millions of years. The fact that we’re hard-wired to scan things means I’m more attracted to representational art than I am to abstract art.”
A key figure in the important generation of British artists who emerged from London’s Goldsmith’s College in the late 1980s, Collishaw’s work has been exhibited widely internationally. Known for his thought-provoking, often contentious pieces, his art can be found in numerous public collections including the Georges Pompidou in Paris and London’s Tate.
Collishaw found a pleasing symmetry in creating designs for the Lady Dior range, having long-admired the talents of the maison’s late founder.
“I’m familiar with the brand and I’ve got a couple of suits by Dior,” he says, “I think he (Christian Dior) was very precise. Economy was important for the shape and design of a dress, but he also made outfits with quite a lot of volume in the 1950s.”
His first fashion commission complete, it’s back to the day job for Collishaw. Upcoming projects and exhibitions will demand his attention in the new year, when it won’t be uncommon to find him burning the midnight oil.
“I don’t really live the romantic myth of the artist, but sometimes, when the sun goes down — then you can get a little magic moment when you’re working on something.” he says, “I’m kind of in a different zone, where it’s quite enchanting and you’re not dealing with other people — it’s just you and the thing you’re making.”
For more information go to www.dior.com
rduane@thenational.ae
