The Essence and the Rose

Traveling the world over, criss-crossing different regions in search of the most beautiful flowers… “Creation a perfume takes time,” confides François Demachy, the nose for Dior. “But especially being stimulated by your travels, coming face-to-face with lands and people that bring them to life, that preserve them.” This is how François Demachy explores rare lands – lands fashioned by this expert who, with abnegation, brings us the most noble primary materials on Earth. In this first chapter we’re delighted to be introduced to the workers of fields of May Rose, the same that travel alongside the brand itself. Since yes, François Demachy brings us along into the fields whose harvests go directly to Dior’s Maison de Parfums. Dior perfumes are thus able to become a veritable postcard of all these travels.

Like in Grasse, where the May Rose brightens up the hills of the countryside with its delicate hues, Demachy has undertaken turning each of these encounters into a human adventure – the point being to support and animate exceptional, rare, and vulnerable crafts. François Demachy seeks to offer the most exceptional flowers to Dior perfumes. That’s why he jetted off to India to seek out the most precious jasmine, or in the most distant corners of the planet to dig up some bergamot. It’s an era of senses that Dior is inviting us to discover now through each of these four chapters!

 

 

 

Dior and the rose: Key dates

1900s : In the early XX century Dior’s family buys the awesome manor of «Les Rhumbes», at Granville, Normandy. Since the early childhood Christian Dior is surrounded by the roses.

1947 : Since the first collections Dior’s rose is fully protagonist of his style. May it be on a hat or a belt, as a garment, as a textile pattern or a work of embroidery. At one point, Dior’s clothes will be roses themselves, because of shape and colour. The colors of the roses vary from white to scarlet up to pink, burgundy, fuchsia, yellow. Later he will experiments roses in black, brown, gold, blue, silver.

1957 – 1988 : While Yves Saint Laurent gives to Dior dresses a more geometrical but still romantic shape through roses, Marc Bohan will experiment new psychedelic shapes and colours for Dior roses. Among his creations, Princess Grace Kelly’s civil wedding dress.

1959 : Roger Vivier gives birth to the iconic model of shoes «Bouton de Rose» or «Rose blossom».

1986 – 1997 : Gianfranco Ferrè brings Dior’s women in a new era: in his ideal of opulence and baroque beauty roses are women and women are roses and the dresses are often flowers themselves.

1995 : The iconic «Lady Dior» bag. In the following years it will be reinvented and revisited also with the rose pattern.

1997 : Peter Marino becomes the chief architect of Dior. In his mission of restyling some key locations and flagships stores of the brand he will widely employ the roses. What’s more, walls of roses will become a theatrical setting for the catwalks and events.

2010 – 2015 : In order to celebrate Christian Dior’s passion for roses Victoire De Castellane gives birth to four different high-jewelry collection dedicated to the beloved flower. «Pré Catelan», «Bois des rose», «Rose Bagatelle» and «Roses des vents» are true art masterpieces.

2013 : Dior Perfumes, in cooperation with the botanist André Eve, gives birth to the Granville Rose. This variety of Rose dear to Dior will be from now on used in a variety of Dior’s cosmetic lines.

2013 : Sofia Coppola signs the new campaign for the perfume Miss Dior through her short movie «La vie en rose». The commercial portrays Natalie Portman surrounded by thousands of Dior roses.

2014 : The master perfumer François Demachy creates for Dior the «Rose Precious Elixir»

2012 : The Autumn/Winter fall is widely dedicated to Dior’s roses

2016 : The new fragrance from Christian Dior Perfumes, «La Colle Noire» is fully made from the roses.