A Dior fashion show inspired by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo took place Saturday (May 20) at the Colegio de San Ildefonso in Mexico City. The collection was designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri.
In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, Chiuri said, “[Frida Kahlo] was the first exhibition I saw in Italy of a woman artist. It was really something that affected me … because she used clothes to define herself … She mixed Mexican and European, but at the same time she maintained her personality. She was a genius.”
In an Instagram post, Chiuri explained that part of the collection was created by Nahua weaver, Hilan Cruz, who “incorporate[d] the embroideries representing the flora and fauna of his community’s cosmogony” and was “inspired by the pure shapes of traditional Mexican dress.” According to Vogue magazine, “a cast of predominantly Mexican models” participated in the Dior Cruise show.
Other Mexican artisans who participated in the Dior Cruise show, which “incorporate[d] numerous examples of Mexican savoir-faire,” included Taller Textil Yolcentle from Puebla, Rocinante from Oaxaca, Sna Jolobil from Chiapas, Remigio Mestas who is originally from Oaxaca, and Plata Villa, a company in Mexico City that produced many of the accessories.
According to Dior, the collection also recognized “the techniques, textile material culture, and outstanding creative ingenuity of the women and men of Mexico’s artisanal heritage.” The fashion company called it “a privilege … to work with the indigenous communities of Mexico: the Nahua community of the Sierra Norte of Puebla, the Mazatec, Chinantec, Zapotec, and Mixtec communities of Oaxaca and Tzotzil of Chiapas.”
Some of the celebrities who were at the show included Karla Souza, Yalitza Aparicio, Belinda, Aislinn Derbez, Naomi Watts, Alicia Keys, Riley Keough, and others.