Now in Singapore: A display of Dior’s iconic Lady Dior handbag by young as well as established artists worldwide
Lady Dior House is a new itinerant showcase by the French couture house that continues its ever-evolving homage to its beloved signature handbag, the Lady Dior.
Lady Dior House is staged at the Jiak Kim Warehouse (former Zouk). (Photo: Dior)
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There are It bags, and then there are bags that are walking statements of art. Like Dior’s Lady Dior handbag. To the French maison, it isn’t just a carrier of things. Rather it should be treated like wearable art, objets d’art even. Dior is so single-minded in its belief that the house has devoted two annual projects to pay artistic homage to this legendary bag that was the constant companion of the late Princess Diana.
It’s been doing this for more than 10 years now, working with young talents and established artists, giving them carte blanche to use the Lady Dior as a blank canvas, to reimagine and showcase its beauty and character. It started off in 2011, with the Lady Dior As Seen By, an annual exhibition of multi-disciplinary installations that has travelled from East Asia, Europe and Moscow.
Then in 2016, when Maria Grazia Chiuri joined the maison as creative director, she piloted the Dior Lady Art collaborative, where international artists worked together with the maison’s craftsmen to bring to life their creative interpretations of the famous bag, turning out limited-release Lady Dior bags for purchase.
Now Dior has introduced yet another itinerant concept – Lady Dior House – that continues its love affair with the iconic bag. The travelling exhibition, which started off in Vietnam earlier this year, makes its second stop in Singapore, and is staged at the Jiak Kim Warehouse (former Zouk) from now till Aug 11.
This capsule exhibition unfolds over five rooms and encompasses three showcases:
LADY DIOR AS SEEN BY
A curated selection of the installations over the years from the original expansive travelling exhibition, look forward to seeing the Lady Dior featured creatively in various mediums from fantastical 3D sculptures, stunning prints and poignant photography.
Dior has also commissioned three artists from Singapore – Samuel Xun, Genevive Chua and Grace Tan – to feature their artistic vision of the Lady Dior Bag.
PRINCESS DIANA & LADY DIOR
In September 1995, the late Princess Diana visited France. On this trip, Madame Bernadette Chirac, then the First Lady of France, gifted the royal a handbag from the house of Dior. A stylish carrier of diplomacy, literally, it represented the culture and savoir-faire of the French.
Designed by Gianfranco Ferre just the year before, the bag – originally called the Chouchou (“favourite” in French) – had yet to be released for commercial sale. It had a structured A-line silhouette (read: It’s not a bag that sags), and bore the signature Dior geometric Cannage (a motif that references the cane chairs in the house’s old couture salon) stitching on its supple lambskin. Accentuating its inimitable distinction: A set of D.I.O.R charms that dangled from its rounded top handles – a whimsical ode to the good-luck trinkets that Monsieur Dior (he was notably superstitious) use to carry with him.
The princess was gifted the little black handbag at the inauguration of the Paul Cezanne retrospective at the Grand Palais. She was later photographed with her Chouchou during a charity trip to Argentina in November that same year, and she also had another commissioned in navy to match her blue eyes.
The bag was added to the Dior stable of leather goods. In 1996, it was renamed the Lady Dior in honour of the princess, and it becomes a national treasure of sorts. Within just two years after its regal debut, the French couture house had sold 200,000 iterations of the bag, increasing the turnover of its leather goods by ten-fold.
Almost 30 years on, the Lady Dior has been given fresh updates by Dior’s current creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri to keep it relevant, but it still firmly holds reign with many stylish celebrities and women who count on it to be a delightful and elegant companion on her arm.
Since the inception of this artist-and-Dior collaborative in 2016, there have been eight collections of Dior Lady Art by over 80 international artists who have made their evocative creative mark on the Lady Dior, turning each into an objet d’art to have and to hold. Select commercial pieces from the Lady Dior Art #6 to #8 collections are available for purchase or order at the Lady Dior House.
Do check out the bags by Jeffrey Gibson, a Native American artist known for his abstract painting, sculpture and pop prints, deploys his signature technique – beading – on two of his Lady Dior creations that boast 1001 beads in neon hues, with leather, nylon and neoprene inserts.
Other noteworthy picks: The two Lady Diors by Romanian artist Mircea Cantor. His leather-clad bags feature hypnotic Eden-inspired embroidery, a nod to his Romanian roots. He’s also put inspirational messages in French, English and Romanian on the handles of the bag, while gold charms lend an added touch of luxury.
THE BEAUTY OF LADY DIOR
Through projections, installations and animations, you’ll discover what goes into crafting an iconic bag like the Lady Dior. A ballet of rituals that take place in Dior’s leather workshops, it’s an insight into this intricate puzzle that is immaculate crafted and assembled by highly skilled artisans – a process that involves infinite patience, passion and precision.
There is also a rainbow room for Lady Dior bags – the perfect backdrop for many selfies.
The Lady Dior House exhibition is on from now till Aug 11. Admission is by appointments only and you can you book your viewing slots here.
