A Regal Faith Ringgold-Inspired Dior Couture Collection

“The most important thing to me in life is inspiration,” the late contemporary artist Faith Ringgold, who recently passed away at 93 years old, once said. “I want to inspire others and I want to be inspired.”

This testament was one Ringgold embraced her entire life, revealed through poignant words and unforgettable details in her many artworks and books—from narrational quilts, sculptures, and performances to titles like Tar Beach, We Came to America, and Coming to Jones Road. Ringgold’s powerful sentiment also inspired Dior Couture’s women’s creative director, Maria Grazia Chiuri, to embark on a new collection that embraced truth, determination, and feminism—haute couture Fall/Winter 2024-25, seen yesterday in Paris.

Maria Grazia Chiuri Finds Inspiration in the Work of Faith Ringgold

At first, Ringgold’s spirit was seen from the show site’s exterior, with an artwork of hers named Freedom Woman Now wrapping around the facade. A call for gender equality, the political poster was created in 1971 and is now somewhat representative of the artist’s creative activist identity. It is one of the artist’s earliest works to incorporate text, featuring Kuba Central African motifs of interlocking triangles and a repetitive message representative of the Pan-African flag. 

“The most important thing to me in life is inspiration,”

—Faith Ringgold

Inside, too, an atmosphere enveloped guests with Ringgold’s artworks. Paintings from some of the artist’s most known series—like “Woman Free Yourself (Political Posters)” and “Windows of the Wedding #1: Woman,”—joined recreations of her Civic Center L.A. Subway commission. The installation was also poignantly timed to the upcoming arrival of the Olympics, hosted in Paris next month, featuring scenes of athletes who have faced prejudice and obstacles in their competitive quests.

Although Ringgold passed away two months ago, the installation designed for the show was imagined last year in collaboration with the artist and Dior’s long-term collaborators, the Chanakya Ateliers and the Chanakya School of Craft.    

Draping, Pleats, and Tassles Accentuate Dior Haute Couture

On the runway, Chiuri’s latest styles returned to their fundamental essences but with a twist for today. The peplum style, for instance, was created in a metal mesh jersey (a material not common in couture). Featherweight bustiers structured outfits and were even worn as tops; pleats were sewn down or worn open to show the movement of the leg; draped silk garments created a classic visual appeal; and dresses hanging from one shoulder recalled the regal allure of goddess dressing. 

Muted hues told a composed story of garments fit for freedom, for expression, and for winning—from white, grey, and black to silver and gold. Transparent tank tops in metallic trimmed in satin join sport jerseys adorned in small sequins or gold leaves; and a bathrobe embellished with mosaic mirrors pays homage to the “color of life,” according to Monsieur Christian Dior. 

Above all, in every color and cut, the female body is celebrated. For Fall/Winter 2024-25, haute couture combines classic and rebellious styles that allow women to assert their powers unabashedly—reflectively, reflexively, and deservedly.