FASHION SHOW TURNED EXHIBITION: DIOR’S SS22 HAUTE COUTURE SET REMAINS FOR PUBLIC ACCESS
Photo Courtesy of Dior
28 jan 2022, for frame
Location
77 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France
Design, Production
Brand
Music
Site
A 'black box' in the gardens of Paris’s Musée Rodin
The Dior SS22 haute couture runway is an art retrospective of Madhvi and Manu Parekh, representing 340 sq-m of hand embroidery by the Chanakya School of Crafts.
Key features
The SS22 Dior Haute Couture show by Maria Grazia Chiuri’s was held within a sleek white-blue box in the gardens of Paris's Musée Rodin. A black-painted motif by Madhvi and Manu Parekh greeted one on the façade, transforming into colourful embroidery inside. The floorplan comprised a Bureau Betak-produced runway in a traditional U shape, with seating in the middle. It was surrounded by a rather minimalistic interior, dressed in white walls, light natural-wood flooring and rhythmically placed embroideries produced by Chanakya School of Crafts – a Mumbai-based non-profit institute dedicated to preserving the handicraft. The show installation will remain in situ until 30 January, for the visits by the general public.
Frame's take
As a rule, the ‘black box’ approach to runway architecture eliminates any impact of the location or place on the show – it lets the show exist independently of the given context. The Dior show, however, is a unique case when the ‘black box’ affects the site into its afterlife, with the set turning into an exhibition at Musée Rodin. Dior's set has become an open and democratic space for everyone in Paris, allowing them to get in touch with the art and artisanal legacy of haute couture fashion.
In the time of more sustainable thinking in design and architecture, many questions about the tenability of expensive runway productions (and multimedia extravaganzas) are being raised. In early 2020, Bureau Betak responded with its '10 Commandments', a list of rules and regulations that the fashion-production company will follow to reduce its carbon footprint. Commitments start at eco-conscious design, focusing on elements that can be rented or reused, fully repurposing or upcycling all materials and recycling all waste. The Dior SS22 haute couture show proposes the reuse of an exclusive runway for a publicly accessible space offering cultural entertainment and fashion education.