Questions about the house Christian Dior founded in Paris in 1946, from the New Look to Jonathan Anderson, answered from Ayerhs’s reviews of Dior couture from 1999 to today.
By Shreya S · Last reviewed 30 October 2026
On this page: The house and its founder · The designers · The collections · Codes and business · The Ayerhs view
The house and its founder
Who founded Dior, and when?
Christian Dior founded his couture house at 30 avenue Montaigne in Paris in 1946, backed by the textile industrialist Marcel Boussac. He showed his first collection on 12 February 1947. Dior had trained under Robert Piguet and Lucien Lelong before opening his own house at 41.
Read on Ayerhs: Christian Dior – The complete guide · Christian Dior: The Designer Who Redefined Fashion with the New Look
What was the New Look?
The name the press gave Dior’s first collection in 1947: rounded shoulders, a tightly cinched waist, padded hips and long, full skirts using metres of fabric. After years of wartime rationing it felt like a return to luxury and femininity. Its emblem is the Bar suit, a cream silk jacket over a pleated black wool skirt.
It was also controversial: critics called it wasteful, and Coco Chanel saw it as a step back into restrictive dressing.
Read on Ayerhs: Christian Dior and the New Look · How Fashion Changed During WWII
How long did Christian Dior design for his own house?
Barely ten years. He died suddenly in 1957, at 52. In that decade he built Dior into the most famous couture house in the world, with licences, perfume and a new silhouette almost every season, and he hired the 21-year-old Yves Saint Laurent, who succeeded him.
The designers
Who has designed Dior since Christian Dior?
| Designer | Years | Defining idea |
|---|---|---|
| Christian Dior | 1947–1957 | The New Look |
| Yves Saint Laurent | 1957–1960 | The Trapeze line |
| Marc Bohan | 1961–1989 | Discreet, wearable elegance |
| Gianfranco Ferré | 1989–1996 | Architectural couture |
| John Galliano | 1996–2011 | Theatrical, historical fantasy |
| Raf Simons | 2012–2015 | Minimalism and modern art |
| Maria Grazia Chiuri | 2016–2025 | Feminism and craft |
| Jonathan Anderson | 2025– | The archive made new and witty |
What did John Galliano do at Dior?
He turned Dior couture into the most theatrical show in Paris. From 1996 to 2011 his collections travelled through ancient Egypt, Russia, Vermeer’s paintings and Madame Butterfly, with the drama of the runway as important as the clothes. Dior dismissed him in 2011 after he was filmed making anti-Semitic remarks.
Read on Ayerhs: Greatest moments of Dior Couture by John Galliano · John Galliano – The complete guide
What did Raf Simons and Maria Grazia Chiuri bring to Dior?
Simons (2012–2015) stripped Galliano’s fantasy back to clean, modern couture; his debut, Couture Fall 2012, was shown in rooms walled with fresh flowers. Chiuri (2016–2025), the first woman to lead Dior womenswear, opened with a “We Should All Be Feminists” T-shirt and built a softer, craft-led Dior. She now designs Fendi.
Read on Ayerhs: The best of Dior Haute Couture by Raf Simons · Dior Couture Fall 2012 · The best Dior collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri · A walk through Maria Grazia’s Dior
Who is Jonathan Anderson, and what has he changed at Dior?
The Northern Irish designer behind JW Anderson, who spent over a decade transforming Loewe. Dior named him to lead menswear in April 2025 and all collections in June 2025, the first designer since Christian Dior himself to oversee everything. His womenswear debut, Spring 2026, played with the house codes; his first couture, Spring 2026, and Resort 2027 followed.
Read on Ayerhs: Dior Spring 2026 · Dior Couture Spring 2026 · Dior Fall 2026 · Dior Resort 2027
The collections
What are the most iconic Dior collections?
- Spring 1947, the New Look. The collection that made the house.
- Couture Spring 2004. Galliano’s ancient Egypt: gold, sphinx headdresses and pharaonic make-up. Review
- Couture Spring 2008. Galliano at full volume, a visual explosion of colour and silhouette. Review
- Couture Fall 2012. Raf Simons’s debut in flower-covered salons. Review
- Couture Spring 2026. Anderson’s first couture. Review
More from the Galliano archive: Couture Spring 1999 · Spring 2002 · Spring 2009 · Spring 2011
Codes and business
What are Dior’s signature codes?
- The Bar jacket: the nipped, padded-hip jacket from 1947.
- Cannage: the woven pattern of the cane chairs at the first show, now stitched into the Lady Dior bag.
- Lady Dior bag: named for Princess Diana, who carried it constantly from 1995.
- Saddle bag: Galliano’s 2000 design, revived in 2018.
- Houndstooth and lily of the valley: Christian Dior’s favourite pattern and lucky flower.
- Miss Dior: the perfume launched with the house in 1947.
Read on Ayerhs: The A–Z of Dior · A–Z of Christian Dior
Who owns Dior?
Dior is part of LVMH, the luxury group controlled by Bernard Arnault, whose family also owns Louis Vuitton, Celine and Givenchy. Arnault took control of Dior in the 1980s, and it remains one of the group’s flagship houses.
Read on Ayerhs: The Rise of Fashion Conglomerates
The Ayerhs view
Is Jonathan Anderson good for Dior?
Yes. Anderson has brought wit, intelligence and a real sense of the archive back to a house that had grown predictable. His first couture was the strongest Dior collection in years, and by Resort 2027 the verdict at Ayerhs was simple: thank God for Jonathan Anderson at Dior.