‘Dior and I’ directed by French-born filmmaker, Frédéric Tcheng, is a feature-length documentary that takes the viewer behind the scenes of the creation of designer Raf Simons’ first haute couture collection for the House of Christian Dior in the spring of 2012. Granted unprecedented access, the film documents the eight weeks that Simons had to complete his debut collection. Revealing the inner workings of the design house, from the creative processes of its artistic director to the tireless seamstresses of the atelier, the film explores the personal bonds that form between the collaborators, their work, and the legacy of Christian Dior.
‘Dior and I’ follows Raf Simons as he delves into Dior’s archives for inspiration. “I find it quite challenging to work with a legacy that is so gigantic and so sublime,” says Simons as a model puts on the iconic Bar jacket from 1947. With a tight waist, large shoulders and emphasized hips, the silhouette was such a departure from the boxy wartime outfits that Harper’s Bazaar dubbed it the “New Look” and it instantly became the style reference for the following decade. The film also closely follows Florence Chehet, from the atelier flou, and Monique Bailly, from the atelier tailleur. “For me, they are the two most important people in the house,” says Pieter Mulier, Raf Simons’ right hand at Dior and longtime collaborator.
Dior and I is thence also the intimate story of a dauphin confronting the towering shadow of his predecessor. In one of the most personal moments, Raf Simons visits Christian Dior’s childhood home in Granville, Normandy. Watch the film’s teaser below.
