Dior goes digital for cruise 2021 runway show

The French fashion house will unveil its latest collection at an ‘audience-free event’ in July

Dior’s cruise 2020 collection was shown in Marrakech, Morocco. Reuters

Dior has unveiled plans for its first runway show since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.

The fashion house will present its cruise 2021 collection, by Maria Grazia Chiuri, in Lecce, Italy, on July 22, in a closed-door, audience-free event.

It will be shown exclusively online, and in strict compliance “with the security measures in force, which will be very rigorously respected, the health of all involved remaining the highest priority,” the brand said in a statement.

The show and collection are being positioned as a celebration of the traditional arts, crafts and panache of Italy’s Puglia region.

“From the art of weaving to the luminaries – dazzling architectures in light – from the passion of dance to the power of ritual music, the house of Dior actively encourages this diverse and precious culture, while paying tribute to the landscapes unique to this region, a land that has long held a deep importance for the creative director of the Dior women’s collections,” the brand said.

The need to support and promote artisans such as those in Puglia has become even more imperative in the wake of the Covid-19 crisis, it said.

Chanel became the first major fashion house to put on an all-digital show, when it delivered its cruise 2020/21 collection in an online format on Monday, June 8.

The 51-look show was presented on Chanel’s social media channels via a slick seven-minute film shot entirely in Paris. In a studio, a pebble-strewn beach was constructed – complete with a huge ‘sea’ backdrop – to evoke the Mediterranean feel of Capri, which inspired the collection.

With traditional runway shows played out to live audiences off the agenda for the foreseeable future, brands are navigating a brave new digital world, trying to find new ways to evoke the magic, emotion and storytelling of runway shows. We look forward to seeing Dior’s approach to this largely uncharted territory.