Marc Bohan, chief designer of Dior for thirty years, has died

His name is inseparable from the house on Avenue Montaigne. Fashion designer Marc Bohan, who was Dior’s artistic director for nearly three decades (1961-1989, an unprecedented longevity within the luxury brand), died on Wednesday, September 6, at the age of 97, the brand announced on Friday. belongs to the company. French giant LVMH.

Perfect craftsmanship, great sense of size. he aligned Dior with the founder’s spirit. Above all, it allowed the label to open up to new customers with the launch of Miss Dior women’s, Baby Dior children’s and Dior Monsieur men’s ready-to-wear lines. Little known to the general public, his persona was overshadowed by his successors Gianfranco Ferre and John Galliano, who were more flamboyant. His legacy lives on in the vision of artistic director Maria Grazia Chiuri, accompanied by the man who left his mark on the wardrobe. the sixties. The monochromatic colors of the Spring Summer 2022 and Fall 2023 collections presented at the fashion show in India are a direct reference to this.

Dior, a twist of fate

Born in Paris on August 22, 1926, Marc Bohan was passionate about painting and fashion from an early age, encouraged by his mother, who was a craftswoman. He started out alongside Jean Patou and Robert Piguet before establishing his own house in 1953. Located on George V Avenue, it has only been open for a year due to financial difficulties. Then fate knocks on her door. In 1957, a few streets away, tragedy struck at Dior’s highly visible house; barely ten years after its creation, its eponymous creator, Christian Dior, died of a heart attack in Montecatini on October 24. Marc Bohan was immediately contacted by Boussac, then owned by Dior, to take over responsibility for the collections in London. Her first official collection, the Slim Look, for spring-summer 1961, celebrated a woman who dressed without restraint; skirts became shorter, suits became dominant. The collection will be a great success.

He has long been close with the writer Françoise Sagan and the artist Niki de Saint Fale. His other major clients include the Duchess of Windsor and Empress Farah of Iran, whom he notably dressed for the Shah’s coronation in 1967. His style also seduced the former first lady of America, Jackie Kennedy, who asked her official couturier Oleg. Cassini will make copies of Dior models.

After his departure in 1989, he became artistic director of London-based Norman Hartnell until 1992. Passionate about opera and theatre, he created many stage costumes, particularly in collaboration with Luchino Visconti. He was twice awarded the Dé d’Or, the highest design award, in 1983 and 1988.

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