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Maria Grazia Chiuri

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Maria Grazia Chiuri
Born (1964-02-02) February 2, 1964 (age 60)
Rome, Italy
EducationIstituto Europeo di Design
OccupationFashion designer
TitleCreative director at Dior
SpousePaolo Regini
Children2
"New Junon" evening dress (spring/summer 2017) by Chiuri, featured in the Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

Maria Grazia Chiuri (Italian pronunciation: [maˈriːa ˈgrattsja ˈkjuːri]; born 2 February 1964) is an Italian fashion designer. After stints working at Fendi and Valentino, Chiuri was named creative director at Dior in 2016.[1]

Biography

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Chiuri's father was in the military and her mother, a dressmaker, joined a sewing workshop at a young age before opening her own boutique in Rome, but pushed her daughter to study. She had five sisters.[2][3] She has cited her grandmother, mother and sisters as an inspiration.[3] Chiuri studied at Istituto Europeo di Design in Rome, then started at Fendi where she designed handbag lines.

Chiuri joined Fendi in 1989. While at Fendi, she helped develop the famous Baguette bag[4][2] and recruited the designer Pierpaolo Piccioli to join the department.[4][5]

In 1999, Chiuri joined Italian fashion house Valentino, where she was responsible for the accessories lines. In 2008, when Valentino Garavani retired, Chiuri was promoted within the Italian company to become artistic co-director of the brand, alongside Pier Paolo Piccioli, whom she had known since her studies at the Istituto Europeo di Design. In 2003, the pair also began to manage creative direction for the Red Valentino diffusion collection. Chiuri and Piccioli were named co-creative directors of Valentino in 2008, overseeing full artistic direction for the brand, including Womenswear, Menswear & Haute Couture. Both designers were awarded the CFDA International Award for their work in 2015.[citation needed]

In 2016, Sidney Toledano appointed Chiuri as artistic director of the women's collections of Christian Dior (haute couture and ready-to-wear, six collections per year). Succeeding Raf Simons, she became the first woman to hold this position since the inception of the brand in 1946. Her first shows for the French house were characterized by minimalism and feminist themes.[citation needed]

On 6 July 2020, Chiuri presented the Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2020–2021 collection. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was presented for the first time in the form of a film, in collaboration with Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone.[citation needed]

Chiuri's work is often described as youthful, and she cites her daughter Rachele Regini as a muse.[6][3]

Beginnings at Dior

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In July 2016 Chiuri was appointed the creative director of Dior.[7][8][9] Vanessa Freidman of The New York Times reported: "She will be the first woman to lead the creative side in the label’s 69-year history,[10] and the role will be her first solo appointment after more than two decades of working with Pierpaolo Piccioli,[11] who has been named creative director at Valentino."[7] The Irish Times remarked: "As artistic director of the storied Paris fashion house, Ms Chiuri will follow in the footsteps of designers like Yves Saint Laurent, Gianfranco Ferré and John Galliano."[12]

In September 2016 Chiuri debuted her first collection for Christian Dior SE in Paris.[13] The show featured many feminist references, including a T-shirt bearing the title of Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's essay We Should All Be Feminists.[14][15] Chiuri would continue this theme in subsequent shows, including a reference to Linda Nochlin's essay Why Have There Been No Great Women Artists? for SS18, as well as a collaboration with artist Judy Chicago and The Chanakya School of Craft for the set of her SS20 Haute Couture collection at Dior.[16]

Feminist designs

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According to Chiuri, "the new generation has raised big questions about gender, race, environment and cultures that we have to reflect in fashion".[6] Chiuri has often been inspired by feminism for the clothes she has created for Dior. In addition, she regularly invites committed artists to present her collections.[17]

In September 2016, the slogan "We should all be feminist",[18] a cult phrase by Nigerian author and feminist icon Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie that had inspired Chiuri, was printed on white t-shirts of two models at the Dior show at Paris Fashion Week for the Spring 2017 collection.[19] In January 2020, during a very stylized Dior fashion show, staged in the garden of the Rodin Museum, the catwalk was lined with 21 banners, on which were embroidered feminist phrases, such as "Could men and women be equal?".[20] In March, quotes such as "The patriarchy kills love" or "We are all clitoridian women" from Carla Lonzi's manifesto were displayed during the presentation of the 1970s-inspired collection.[21]

Publications

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In 2021, Chiuri published the book Her Dior: Maria Grazia Chiuri's New Voice.[22] It features the work of 33 photographers who have worked with Chiuri and Dior. The book illustrates the work of these artists who represent an important part of contemporary photography and celebrates the innovative and feminist spirit of Chiuri.

Chiuri is, along with Pierpaolo Piccioli, author of the book Valentino: Objects of Couture, published on 5 November 2013. This book presents the legacy of accessory design by the legendary Valentino fashion house.[23]

Awards and distinctions

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  • 2024: Chiuri receives the Neiman Marcus Award for Distinguished Service in the Field of Fashion.[24][25]
  • Monday, 1 July 2019: Chiuri is decorated with the insignia of Knight of the National Order of the Legion of Honor from the hands of Marlene Schiappa, Secretary of State for Equality between Men and Women.[26] The award was received after the Dior Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2019–2020 fashion show. The award was given to honor the values and feminist message that Maria Grazia Chiuri conveys through her collections for the house of Dior and her collaborations with female artists.
  • 2017: Chiuri receives the Swarovski Award for Positive Change at the Fashion Awards.[27][28]
  • 2017: Chiuri receives the "Glamour Award for Designer of the Year", as well as the "Glamour Award for The Fashion Force", presented by Glamour magazine.[29]
  • 2015: Chiuri receives the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America) award for her creations at Valentino.[30]

Personal life

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Chiuri married Paolo Regini, a shirtmaker, and has a son, Niccolò, and a daughter, Rachele.[2]

References

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  1. ^ Instagram February 2, 2020, Birthday
  2. ^ a b c Collins, Lauren (25 September 2018). "How Maria Grazia Chiuri Brought Feminism To the House of Dior". W Magazine. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  3. ^ a b c Petrarca, Emilia (18 October 2018). "Maria Grazia Chiuri Is Learning to See Fashion Through Her Daughter's Eyes". The Cut. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  4. ^ a b "Maria Grazia Chiuriis One of the 500 People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry in 2018". The Business of Fashion. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  5. ^ (in Chinese) Valentino的革新者：Maria Grazia Chiuri与Pierpaolo Piccioli Archived 10 March 2021 at the Wayback Machine 18 November 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2016
  6. ^ a b "It's a woman's world for Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri". South China Morning Post. 14 October 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b Friedman, Vanessa (8 July 2016). "Maria Grazia Chiuri Now at Dior: How It Happened. What It Means". The New York Times. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  8. ^ Mower, Sarah (8 July 2016). "It's Official: Maria Grazia Chiuri Is in at Christian Dior". Vogue. Archived from the original on 22 November 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  9. ^ Kostov, Nick (8 July 2016). "Dior Names Valentino's Maria Grazia Chiuri as New Creative Chief". WSJ. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  10. ^ Holt, Bethan; Spedding, Emma (8 July 2016). "Dior appoints first-ever female creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri". The Telegraph. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  11. ^ Phelps, Nicole (7 July 2016). "Breaking: Valentino Confirms Maria Grazia Chiuri's Departure". Vogue. Archived from the original on 14 November 2016. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  12. ^ Paul, Mark (21 March 2013). "Dior names Maria Grazia Chiuri as artistic director". The Irish Times. Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  13. ^ Vogue (6 July 2016). "Maria Grazia Chiuri nommée directrice artistique de Dior". Vogue (in French). Retrieved 8 July 2016.
  14. ^ Steff Yotka, "Maria Grazia Chiuri Makes a Feminist Statement at Her Dior Debut" Archived 17 January 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Vogue, 30 September 2016.
  15. ^ "Dior makes a Bold Statement with Chimamanda Adichie’s “We Should All Be Feminists” at Paris Fashion Week", BellaNaija, 1 October 2016.
  16. ^ "The Dior couture show set was created with the help of 150 female students”, AMY DE KLERK, 22 January 2020.
  17. ^ Cartner-Morley, Jess (18 March 2017). "Maria Grazia Chiuri on fashion, feminism and Dior: 'You must fight for your ideas'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
  18. ^ Lubitz, Rachel (22 January 2017). "Dior is selling a plain cotton t-shirt that says 'We Should All Be Feminists' for $710". Business Insider. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  19. ^ "Mode : Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie inspire Dior à la Paris Fashion Week – Jeune Afrique". JeuneAfrique.com (in French). 5 October 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  20. ^ "Un défilé haute couture peut-il être féministe ?". L'Obs (in French). 3 February 2020. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  21. ^ Chahine, Vicky (26 February 2020). "Ça, c'est Paris ! Les coulisses de la fashion week". Le Point (in French). Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  22. ^ "Maria Grazia Chiuri's New 'Her Dior' Book". The Impression. 4 March 2021. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  23. ^ Bonami, Francesco; Mariotti, REM-Ruini e. "Book". Rizzoli New York. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  24. ^ "EXCLUSIVE: Dior's Maria Grazia Chiuri to Receive Neiman's Distinguished Service Award". WWD. 19 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  25. ^ "Maria Grazia Chiuri va recevoir le prix Neiman Marcus 2024". Fashion Network. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
  26. ^ "Maria Grazia Chiuri is awarded a French Legion of Honour". Vogue Paris (in French). 2 July 2019. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  27. ^ "Maria Grazia Chiuri recevra le Swarovski Award for Positive Change aux Fashion Awards 2017". Vogue. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  28. ^ "Maria Grazia Chiuri Honored for Positive Change at the Fashion Awards". Women's Wear Daily. 29 November 2017. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  29. ^ Spiegelman, Nadja (30 October 2017). "How the First-Ever Female Designer of Dior Is Shaking Up the Fashion World". Glamour. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
  30. ^ "CFDA". cfda.com. Retrieved 26 March 2021.
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