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Born in 1905 in the small town of Granville in Normandy, Christian was one of five children. He came from a well to do family who all moved to Paris when he was five years old. He grew up loving art and drawing. He and his friend took over an art gallery soon after school ended that featured many prominent artists of the day. The great depression of 1929 hit him hard. He went out of business and  grieved the loss of his mother and brother. However, this resulted in him finding the fashion world. In 1935 after a stint with tuberculosis he started illustrating for the daily Le Figaro and fashion magazine Le Jardin de Modes. He also began to sell his drawings to couture houses. In 1940, he went to work with designer, Robert Piguet until the war.

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After serving in the war effort for two years as an officer, Dior went to work for couturier, Lucien Lelong as one of his primary designers. Lelong dressed the wives of Nazi officers and French collaborators in the war, and though we will never know Dior's thoughts on how he felt about essentially working for Nazi's, his sister was part of the French Resistance and ended up imprisoned during the war. Not only did Christian survive the war, he seemingly thrived during that time because of his budding skills in the fashion world.

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Christian Dior opened his haute couture house in December, 1946, shortly after the end of World War Two. Backed by backed by textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac, Dior was able to come out of the war with promise. The people of France had lived through the horrors of war and were hungry to create a world that was the opposite of what they had just experienced. The cold fog of war was like a veil and in 1946 it was slowly lifting to reveal a new era in art, literature and of course, fashion. (Photos of 1946 Paris by Ed Clark & Life Magazine)

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February 12, 1947, Dior showed his debut collection. Dior created a new look that combined tradition with innovation. The accentuation of the waist was nothing new but the way he did it was. He shortened the skirt and made it full and bouncy. His designs highlighted a full bust and the curves of women. Constructed to the contours of the female body, Dior revolutionized fashion with his unique silhouette.  "In order to give my designs more hold, I had nearly all the fabrics lined with percale of taffeta, renewing a tradition that had long been abandoned," said Christian Dior. (Bagista)

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The contrast of the bleakness of war with the creation of luxury goods were emblematic of the time. During and just after the war was rationing and people trying desperately to find their feet again. Dior created a path for women to rediscover themselves and beauty through yards and yards of fabric. He created a path draped in luxury and more cloth than any ration card could acquire. Dior was able to design clothes imbued with dreams and enchantment. (Photo by Ed Clark)

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At one point in his youth Dior dreamt of becoming an architect. One could say the bold lines he drew with cloth created to showcase the architecture of a woman's body. His looks became the definition of what it means to be feminine and made him a household name. As his designs grew and eased away from the 'new look', Dior's designs always reflected his signature style. The House of Dior is still a thriving business in today's fashion world and the man himself still holds influence in his own house and beyond.

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Dior continued to create elegant sculptures of dress drawn with his distinctly feminine lines. He developed a perfume line called "Miss Dior" after his younger sister Catherine. She had been part of the French Resistance during WWII and ended up imprisoned at the Ravensbrück concentration camp. She survived and was liberated in 1945. He went on to create accessories to complete the whole look by creating Dior shoes, scarves, jewelry, handbags, hats and more. The accessorizing in the couturiers was not previously done and was criticized thought to be lessening the exclusiveness of haute couture clothing. Proved successful, many other couture houses followed suit.

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Cosgrove, Ben & Ronk, Liz. Paris Photographs: Black and White Pictures of the City of Light, 1946 (life.com). Accessed June 6, 2021

Jessica. History of the brand: Dior (etoile-luxuryvintage.com). Accessed June 8, 2021. Published June 12, 2020

Sowray, Bibby. Christian Dior Biography, Quotes & Facts | British Vogue | British Vogue. Accessed June 8, 2021. Published April 5, 2020.

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At age 52 Dior, the man who brought luxury, softness and elegance back to Paris after the war, died from a heart attack. Yves Saint-Laurent who was then only 21, had been Dior's right hand man since he was 19. Saint-Laurent was appointed creative director following Dior's death and later went on to establish his own haute couture brand.

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Already a success in Paris and overseas, Dior was catapulted to the big screen in 1950 when the fashion house became the exclusive designer for Marlene Dietrich for Alfred Hitchcock's film Stage Fright. In 1948, Dior created the first luxury ready-to-wear house on 5th Avenue in New York City. This made the brand of Dior more accessible and opened up the possibilities to a broader audience.