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A Multisensory Journey Through Miss Dior Celebrating Timeless Elegance
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AT sunset on the Bund, Shanghai, a shimmering pink sculpture of a dog stands sentinel outside the Fosun Foundation. Cast in glossy magenta, with a bow tied smartly around its neck, the figure of Bobby — the beloved pet of Christian Dior — glows like a jewel against the copper-toned façade.
It is a whimsical invitation into the world within. Step inside, and a multisensory journey unfolds: Threads of scent, memory, art, and femininity weave together as Dior unveils “Miss Dior: Stories of a Miss”, an immersive exhibition celebrating its very first fragrance.
And at the heart of it all: Véronique Courtois, CEO of Parfums Christian Dior, who has led the brand into a new chapter of fragrance storytelling — one that entwines emotion, culture, and strategy with deliberate grace.
“Miss Dior has never aged,” Courtois said. “It has no wrinkles. It reinvents itself to remain forever young.”
A Fragrance Born from Love — and Reinvented for the Present
Launched in 1947 alongside Christian Dior’s revolutionary “New Look,” Miss Dior was no ordinary fragrance debut — it was an olfactory manifesto, released on the same day as Dior’s first couture show.
“It was the first time ever in fashion history that a fragrance launched with a show,” Courtois said. “Dior has never been just a fashion house. It’s fashion and fragrance together.”
This duality — style and scent, commercial success and emotional resonance — remains central to the brand’s identity.
“Miss Dior is not a marketing product,” she added firmly. “It’s a story. A true one.”
That story begins with Catherine Dior, Christian Dior’s younger sister, a florist, a Resistance fighter, and the original muse. Her free-spirited femininity infuses the brand’s DNA, and is now reinterpreted by a new generation of artists across China and beyond.
China, Through the Eyes of Miss Dior
After last year’s L’Or de Dior showcase in Beijing, Dior chose Shanghai as the next stage in its cultural dialogue with China. But this isn’t just an exhibition; it’s a tribute.
“You cannot come to China without paying tribute to Chinese creativity,” Courtois said.
“These young Chinese artists give us a fresh breath of air. Their vision of Miss Dior is stunning.”
Inside the exhibition, six Chinese women artists — including Ai Jing, Chen Ke, Liang Yuanwei, Liu Shiyuan, Luo Daishi and Zhou Li — reinterpret the fragrance through sculpture, painting and image montage that reflect themes of femininity, resilience, and emotional freedom.
Their creations appear alongside couture pieces worn by Natalie Portman in recent campaigns, crafting a dialogue between scent and silhouette, image and memory.
“Their reinterpretation of Miss Dior is not only beautiful; it’s vital. It strengthens our link to China in a deeply emotional way,” Courtois said.
OMA New York’s spatial design turns the venue into a ribbon-like spiral, unfolding six sections for visitors to experience: from Stories of a Miss’ storied beginning, past Miss Dior by Eva Jospin and Fields of Flowers, into Miss Dior: The Birth of Ready-to-wear, the creative heart of The Miss Dior Dream, and ending at the cherished collection in I Belong to Miss Dior. It is poetic, almost cinematic, exactly the kind of stage Courtois envisioned for Miss Dior in China.
One such highlight is Fields of Flowers, a room where visitors are invited to rediscover Miss Dior’s composition through scented air, tactile displays and audio fragments that echo Christian Dior’s reflections on flowers and femininity. “We want people not just to see Miss Dior, but to feel her,” Courtois said.
The exhibition also includes rare archival treasures: early sketches of the Miss Dior bottle, vintage campaign visuals, and even handwritten notes from the designer himself. These historical pieces, many of which are displayed in China for the first time, offer a glimpse into the intimate, emotional craftsmanship behind the house’s most iconic fragrance.
Resonating with a New Generation
As Gen Z reshapes the luxury market, Dior is listening — and evolving. While embracing digital storytelling and visual minimalism, the House emphasizes what Courtois calls “authentic emotional truth.”
“Young consumers want something real. They’re not interested in marketing gloss — they want history, meaning, and soul,” she said. “And Miss Dior has all of that. It is not a fabricated story. It is rooted in love, resistance, and freedom.”
These qualities find their most powerful symbol in Catherine Dior. A member of the French Resistance, Catherine embodied independence, courage, and passion for life. Her spirit returns through limited-edition collector pieces and reinterpretations by not only the Chinese artists mentioned above, but also more international feminist artists such as Haruka Kojin, Judy Chicago, Ingrid Donat, and Sabine Marcelis.
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