This weekend, Mexico City was filled with fashion with Dior’s Cruise Collection 2024. This brand, directed by Maria Grazia Chiuri has held this show in different destinations such as Greece, Morocco, and Spain, and in this edition chose the Mexican capital (for the first time) to carry out its famous fashion show.
The show was held at the San Ildefonso school, where Frida Kahlo studied and where her romance with Diego Rivera was born, now converted into a museum where numerous murals, the key to the Mexican artistic legacy, can be seen. Under the rain, the models paraded to the rhythm of verses and regional music, including Vivir Quintana’s ranchera “Te mereces un amor con relámpagos y flores” (You deserve a love with lightning and flowers).
There were 92 looks in collaboration with local artisans who elaborated the luxurious pieces as a sign of respect and recognition of their ancestral techniques, weaving culture, and the creativity of the Mexicans. Maria Grazia Chiuri worked with the Nahua indigenous communities of the Sierra Norte de Puebla, the Mazatec, Chinantec, Zapotec, Mixtec of Oaxaca, and the Tzotzil of Chiapas.
Controversies at the Dior Fashion Show
The arrival of Dior’s Cruise 2023 collection in Mexico, in addition to generating many aesthetic posts from all the influencers who attended the fashion show, also generated “controversial” conversations regarding the rhetoric used by the brand to position itself in the country.
Read more:
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Frida Kahlo, Again?
To begin with, the fashion show provoked polarized opinions by choosing Frida Kahlo as the muse for the collection, which is not bad because she was a very talented woman, but it is not the first global brand to leave out the thousands of women in art in Mexico who have made history. We have Maria Izquierdo, and Celia Calderon, among others.
“It is important to point out that Dior’s inspiration is not limited only to Frida Kahlo but includes other elements that have little to do with the conceptual framework. This evidences the lack of depth and opportunistic use of Mexican symbols,” said Ximena Apisdorf Soto on Twitter.
Protest or Profit?
One issue that set the networks on fire was that Dior, to close the fashion show, used “Canción sin miedo” (Song without Fear), a song by Vivir Quintana, which has become an iconic anthem of feminist protests and the search for the thousands of missing women in Mexico. Netizens were quick to criticize the usage of the song, saying things like “it only shows that white feminism overlooks the struggle of thousands of women” and “what a way to appropriate struggles.”
Vivir Quintana’s “Canción sin miedo” was played at the end of Dior’s Cruise 2024 presentation, when the models also appeared in white dresses with red embroidered messages of female empowerment or references to the life and work of Frida Kahlo.
“Feminicide in Mexico is a deep wound that we live with every day in this country, indigenous women are violated and discriminated against every day. How shocking and annoying to see that foreigners come to make a fashion show out of this tragic reality,” said Paulette González Muñoz on Twitter.
And the issue could be overlooked if we lived in a country where women are not judged for scratching a monument to raise their voices for the thousands of women killed. However, if a luxury brand comes and plays a feminist song and “scratches” some dresses, everything is perfect, and it is even something aesthetic for social networks.
Also, many users talked about the capitalization of femicides as a “great idea” so that “the whole world knows what is happening.” But as soon as there is a march and monuments are scratched or their bus stations are broken, everyone raises their voice saying “Those are not the right manners to protest.” Because the fact that makes us doubt is that Dior “made visible” the femicides in Mexico using a song, but it was also the brand that paid millions of dollars to a man (Johnny Depp) who has received accusations of gender violence and more. Is that logical?
Cultural Appropriation?
As if that were not enough, there was also criticism of the use of Mexican artisans for the creation of this collection. In fact, in 2018, the brand had already been pointed out for cultural appropriation of Mexico for the design of one of its famous tote bags called “Oblique Canvas,” which was completely embroidered and some accessories with the same style. This bag went viral because these accessories refer to the aesthetics associated with certain embroideries made by Mexican indigenous groups. Therefore, many people on Twitter and Instagram accused Dior of falling into cultural appropriation.
On this occasion, in its 2023 fashion show, people wonder if the supposed promotion of artisanal work is a genuine valuation of their work or just opportunistic exploitation because the show took place in our country.
Of course, to silence the critics, Dior should have declared truthful information about the payments and deals that were made with Mexican artisans so that it didn’t end up being an agreement in which only the brand benefited. Also, for me, the names of the artisans who participated in this collection must be mentioned on labels and campaigns as it is a way to give recognition to their work and put the name of Mexico up high.
Finally: Mexican Models?
It is well known that in the world of high-end fashion, the selection of women or men for modeling continues to follow certain terms of whiteness, colorism, and globally accepted aesthetic terms. For this reason, also in social networks, the conversation about the casting of models used for the Dior Cruise 2024 fashion show was unleashed. Were they representatives of Mexican women?
Story written in Spanish by Daniela Bosch in Cultura Colectiva
