Dior will show its Cruise 2018 collection in Santa Monica

By

Emily Jensen

Published
May 8, 2017

Southern California is getting a dose of French fashion. Christian Dior will show its Cruise 2018 collection in Santa Monica this month.

 
European brands often deviate from Paris or Milan for their cruise and resort collections, but taking the line to Santa Monica represents a significant departure for the French fashion house. Since being appointed creative director of the brand, Maria Grazia Chiuri has taken many steps to make Dior more appealing to a younger consumer, such as including “We should all be feminists” T-shirts in her first ready-to-wear collection.
 
The Dior cruise show will take place at the Upper Las Virgenes Canyon Open Space Preserve in the Santa Monica Mountains on May 11. According to the brand, this is the first fashion show to be staged in the nature preserve, which is a favorite spot for local hikers and cyclists.

Dior, which staged its last cruise show at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, is not the first French fashion house to take its summer collection to Southern California. Louis Vuitton put on its 2016 Cruise show in Palm Springs. This year, Louis Vuitton will present its cruise collection in Kyoto.
 
The 70-year-old French fashion label has gone through many changes since Raf Simons departed the brand as creative director. Fashion conglomerate LVMH recently purchased Christian Dior Couture for a reported 6.5 billion euros. The brand has also targeted millennial consumers with its Dior Poison Girl perfume, and made a marketing push to promote the arrival of Chiuri’s collections to Dior stores.