January 2024 Exhibit at La Galerie DIOR in Paris

This year’s January trip to Paris for the first module of the SDA Bocconi Executive Master in Luxury Management (EMiLUX) was my first trip back to Europe in 5,5 years. Many things had happened, including COVID-19, and so I had an incredible hunger for exploration and jet lag didn’t stand a chance. On top of that, the first Module was on Artification, which I was already exploring for my ‘The Artification of Luxury in the Korean Context’ research paper and so one thing was for sure – I was going to La Galerie DIOR.

During that trip and just one day before my visit to La Galerie Dior, Professor Gabriella Lojacono – the Director of EMILUX – took us to the DIOR archives. We were show around by no other than the legend herself, Soïzic Pfaff, Archivist and at the point already retired Directrice of DIOR Heritage, which only strengthened my growing passion for the DIOR Lady Art project.

La Galerie DIOR is just next door from the DIOR Paris 30 Montaigne flagship store in Paris and it gave me the best of both worlds. The 8th edition of DIOR Lady Art had just gone live and I had a very informative chat with one of the Client Advisors about the scale of the project. Then I made my way to immerse myself in a grand space dedicated to the heritage of the maison.  

DIOR Lady Art #8 at the DIOR Paris 30 Montaigne flagship store in Paris

DIOR Lady Art by Zadie Xa

Two of Ha Chong Hyun’s designs for DIOR Lady Art (top shelf)

Lee Kun Yong for DIOR Lady Art #8

Breathtaking doesn't begin to cover it – one cannot be grateful enough to the brand for opening its archives to the public because DIOR creations are truly a part of our cultural heritage. Art takes on diverse shapes and to me, fashion is part of that universe because the creativity and beauty and the influence it has on our imagination, being so close to our daily lives, cannot be ignored. 

The famous Dior Bar Jacket greeted me at the entrance

Lilly of the Valley is a common motif

Art was everywhere

We have the already famous staircase filled with a rainbow of colors that leads to the entrance – a masterpiece in its own right.

There are rooms and rooms of wonders – dresses each with its little universe, looks organized by theme, art, magazine covers featuring Dior creations… Witnessing this rich history made me appreciate the brand even more. 

There’s also an enormous stage where mannequins are lined up on a podium as if we’re witnessing an assembly of Ancient Greek gods. The stars projected on the walls completed the already mesmerizing effect. 

But the best thing for me was seeing the first DIOR Lady Art bag created in collaboration with a Korean artist – the great Lee Bul herself, in one of the most beautiful rooms of the whole exhibition. The shattered-glass-like bag, part of the second edition of the series, was surrounded by jewels and exuded a truly majestic atmosphere. While obviously a fabulous item on its own and unique due its light-reflecting panels, which made it work so well with the gems surrounding it, to me it almost felt like a sign that I was on the right track with my research. 

The Korean artist Lee Bul’s design for DIOR Lady Art #2

Miniature dress, just as fabulous as the real deal

One of the staff kindly told me that the exhibition changed every 6 months or so there are new things to be seen at La Galerie DIOR. I hope that it will one day host a special exibition dedicated just to DIOR Lady Art. I hope that we will be able to see the bags surrounded by the creations that the artists translated into this more utalitarian but also more personal version of their art. It wasn’t feasable for the Lady Dior Celebration exhibition in Seoul due to the size of the venue and the fact that it hosted not only all seven Korean artists that worked on the DIOR Lady Art initiative so far, but also the artwork of seventeen Korean artists who participated in the Lady Dior as Seen by… project. 

Until then – if you happen to be in Paris, make sure to visit this fantastic space and see what part of the DIOR world the La Galerie team allows us to take a peek at this time. For me, it is now a fixed item on my to-do list for future trips to the city.