The Belgian Raf Simons took over as creative director of the women’s collection of renowned fashion label Dior in the spring of 2012. The fashion press was surprised because Simons was known to be a minimalist. Dior had been a brand famous for its decadent luxuriousness under John Galliano who was fired in 2011. The new head designer and his assistant Pieter Mulier only have 2 months instead of the usual 6 months before their first haute couture collection which makes it even more astounding that he let French director Frédéric Tcheng follow him with a camera during this tense period. The documentary is dynamically told and comes as close to its protagonist as the engaging doc LAGERFELD CONFIDENTIAL by Rodolphe Marconi about Karl Lagerfeld, naturally.

DIOR AND I has a strong focus on the practical applications of artistic creations in the studio, where experienced tailors work with threads and needles. Company founder Christian Dior (✝ 1957) is ever-present in snippets from his autobiography and archival footage. When an extravagant dress gets the last touches before the night of the glamorous premiere it seems as though ‘Dior’s ghost’ is there as well. Tcheng occasionally makes parallels between Raf Simons and Christian Dior, though neither of them are essentially the stars of DIOR AND I. The focal point is rather on the insight into the creative process of a fashion collection with all of its ups and downs. At the end of the film one feels as though the often strange fashion world has become a little bit more easy to understand.

Christian Horn

Translation: Elinor Lewy