French luxury house Christian Dior has announced new plans for its Resort 2021 collection show. In a virtual press conference held overnight with Creative Director Maria Grazia Chiuri, along with chairman and CEO Pietro Beccari, the duo explained they will be moving forward with a live show to be held in Lecce, Puglia on July 22 with no A-lister audience in sight.
This follows on from the forced postponement of the original Resort 2021 show date earlier in May due to the global coronavirus pandemic. Unlike their luxury counterparts, Dior will continue to work to the usual fashion calendar for the rest of the year.
A league of their own, this is a new direction as many brands have opted to disrupt the traditional fashion calendar and show presentations amidst the global crisis. This includes luxury Maison’s such as Chanel, who planned to show their Resort 2021 show in Capri, adapted to an entirely digital presentation. Or Gucci, who announced they would be going seasonless and only presenting twice per year. Or Saint Laurent, who pulled out of the 2020 fashion calendar entirely.
Presenting at the Piazza Del Duomo in Lecce is especially important for Chiuri, whose father was from the Puglia region. It’s also important for both Chiuri and Beccari to support their home country of Italy and provide support for the region of Puglia who was so badly hit by the crisis and on the edge of bankruptcy. The show provides important work for artisans, artists and many others in the creative fields.
"Fashion week is important not only for the fashion family, it's also important for the city where the shows are," says Maria Grazia Chiuri via BOF.
Beccari also notes the importance of a real fashion show and how it carries raw emotion with it. "We would like to send a message of support, of hope, of optimism and of rebirth," said Pietro Beccari via BOF.
While there are no further concrete details around the plans for Dior’s upcoming Couture show in July, the luxury Maison is planning to move ahead with its Spring Summer 2021 show in Paris in September, along with the hopes of an audience by that time.
