A detailed insight into the conception, realization and unveiling of the Dior Autumn-Winter 2023-2024 collection. Accompany Maria Grazia Chiuri as she reveals the inspirational role played by the founding couturier’s sister Catherine Dior, explore the treasures kept in the archives, learn about the amazing savoir-faire involved, and then watch as artist Joana Vasconceles creates the show’s scenographic installation.

Zooming into the story, the craftsmanship and our passionate atelier team that have shaped ‘Roots of Rebirth’ over the last months so intricately.

This season explores the rich, yet deeply fragile interconnectedness of an unfamiliar world, the enigmatic fungi empire and the life-bearing fine threads of mycelium. 

The collection details the extraordinary existence of this winding ‘fabric of life,’ the marvelling world of undergrowth tapestry. In reference to the book penned by scientist Merlin Sheldrake, ‘Entangled Life’ notes that ‘fungi is the ecological connective tissue, the living seam by which much of the world is stitched into relation.’

Discover the secrets behind the making of the Dior Autumn-Winter 2022-2023 Haute Couture collection by Maria Grazia Chiuri.

Precious handiwork and Haute Couture craftsmanship come together to create GEORGES HOBEIKA’s latest Fall-Winter couture collection.

One of Maria Grazia Chiuri's favourite materials for its graphic, couture spirit, warp print fabric featured among the crafts celebrated in the recently unveiled Dior Spring-Summer 2021 collection, a technique which involves dyeing the warp threads before they are woven. Its delicate threads combine to shape reversible coats and jackets, also reinterpreting House symbols such as paisley and the signature toile de Jouy. In this video, our Creative Director shares some insights on the history and savoir-faire behind this fascinating technique used on a voluminous archive coat from 1959.

Filmed by Melinda Triana. Music by Massimo Mariani & Cristian Labelli.

Discover the timeless ‘Bar’ jacket, revealed in Monsieur Dior’s first collection in 1947. The quintessence of Dior tailoring, the ‘Bar’ jacket looks as if it has been molded on a woman’s body. Requiring more than 150 hours of work, it is a testament to the excellence of know-how in the House’s ateliers. Discover the Savoir-Faire behind its creation in this video.

The CHANEL heads of atelier explains all the visual tricks and technical gems of the first Haute Couture collection by Virginie Viard solo.

Video showing the construction of a classic Chanel jacket.

An example of direct draping technique (moulage) by a modelist at Christian Dior. 

A remake from a 1939 gown designed for the house of Robert Piguet.

Zooming into the story, the craftsmanship and Van Herpen's passionate atelier team that have shaped ‘Sensory Seas’ over the last five months.

A look into the creative process of the new IvH Between The Lines Couture collection, inside the atelier and behind-the-scenes at the show in Paris.

VISIONAIRE's One Look film series explores the laborious intricacies and endless detail put into the construction of a haute couture garment.

Follow Head of Atelier, Judy Halil, as she gives a step-by-step demonstration and insight into the expertise of the studio at Alexander McQueen. Here she makes one of the centrepieces of the Roses installation: the swirling red Rose dress by Sarah Burton from the Autumn/Winter 2019 collection.

A behind the scenes documentary on the creation of the Christian Dior S/S 11 Haute Couture Collection, showing the techniques and 'Savoir Faire' (Know-How) of the House's couture team.

Working with students from the London College of Fashion, the V&A created digital animations to show how three of Cristóbal Balenciaga's iconic designs were constructed.

The 'Tulip' dress is made from stiff silk gazar which stands away from the body and provides the strong architectural shape. The fabric is joined at the centre front and centre back with no side seams – a signature of Balenciaga's designs.

A second panel of fabric hangs from the shoulders and is secured with bar tacks under the arms, creating the illusion of a loose, unstructured garment.

Working with students from the London College of Fashion, the V&A created digital animations to show how three of Cristóbal Balenciaga's iconic designs were constructed. 

A virtuoso example of pattern-cutting, the main body of this dress is cut from a single piece of fabric joined at the centre back. There are no side seams. The neck of the cape is painstakingly pieced to ensure a soft line which stands away from the body

The making of the Essence D'Herbier dress.

French Language

Translation: The Secrets Of The Construction Of ‘The Mirror Dress’ As Worn By Kendall Jenner - Haute Couture Spring Summer 2017 - French Language.

An example of direct draping technique (moulage) by a modelist at Christian Dior. A remake of a 1939 gown designed for the house of Robert Piguet.

Join Senior Curator Sonnet Stanfill as she examines Schiaparelli's uncanny evening dress, superimposed with the outline of skeletal bones. 

Get closer than ever before and see how padding, zips, and quilting have been used to construct such an elegant yet surreal garment.

Find out more: vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion

Elsa Schiaparelli (1890 – 1973) pushed boundaries as a fashion designer, transforming functional items of clothing into unique style statements.

Her evening suits embody the height of 1930s haute couture, owing to their intricate embellishments, luxurious textiles and severe tailoring. Her collaborations with Surrealist artists like Salvador Dali produced provocative, even shocking designs. Theatrical accessories such as the shoe-shaped hat, her ‘Tears’ dress patterned to look like torn flesh, and the uncanny ‘Skeleton’ dress complete with the dramatic outline of bones, represent Schiaparelli at her most radical.

Find out more: vam.ac.uk/collections/fashion

When Daniel Roseberry was appointed the creative director of Schiaparelli just a little over a year ago, the designer was set to step into some of fashion's biggest shoes by taking creative helm of one of the world's best-known couture houses.

Now, two seasons into his tenure, the house is inviting fans into his atelier with a fascinating new film. Schiaparelli: The Next Chapter follows Roseberry 10 months after his move from the United States to Paris, where he is finishing off his second couture collection for the house.

"Schiaparelli is this incredibly magical world, where everything feels possible," Roseberry says. "The mission of this brand is really to inspire people."

From how the brand's past continues to inspire each and every design, respecting the tradition and the codes of the house to how Roseberry is looking to the future with Schiaparelli, step inside the fascinating world of couture by watching the film in full.

Asked by Maria Grazia Chiuri to reinterpret the 78 tarot symbols for Dior Haute Couture Spring-Summer 2021, artist Pietro Ruffo, a regular House collaborator, created elaborate motifs that replaced human figures with flora, fauna and the cosmos.

Italian language with English subtitles.

For this Dior Haute Couture Couture Spring-Summer 2021 evening dress by Maria Grazia Chiuri, the specialist Jean-Pierre Ollier was called on to recreate an 18th-century découpage technique known as ‘lacca povera’ using screen-printed motifs that are then hand-painted and embroidered on lace whose elements are painstakingly cut and pieced together instead of being joined by regular seams, in an exceptional example of Dior Savoir-Faire.

French language with English subtitles.