Craft vs. Couture
After months of media speculation, it was officially confirmed this past Thursday that Maria Grazia Chiuri is stepping down as the creative director of Dior (literally, the industry’s worst kept secret). It has been disappointing to watch how LVMH has handled her departure, allowing the rumor mill to spin for months and leaving their designer exposed in the process. But the announcement left me thinking about Grazia Chiuri’s legacy after her nine-year tenure at the house, since she is still the only female designer to helm Dior. Her achievements are impressive, beginning with quadrupling Dior’s revenue between 2018 and 2023 (Fashion Network).
But more important than even the monetary growth - at least, to me - Grazia Chiuri made collaborating with women artists and craftspeople from around the globe a focus of her tenure, both to bring a fresh perspective to Dior and showcase talent not typically celebrated by Western European luxury brands. Because, as we know, in fashion there is still a tendency to view artisans from countries like India, Mexico and Tunisia as “folk” or “traditional” craftspeople. It doesn’t matter that Louis Vuitton makes some of its leather shoes in Romania or that European fashion houses employ embroiderers from India, Vietnam or Morocco, the language of exclusivity and refinement in luxury fashion remains steeped in Eurocentric ideals.
Haute couture artisans are promoted through marketing departments of powerful brands as exceptionally trained artists who have worked their way up through apprenticeships where they learned skills handed down over decades, sometimes centuries. These artisans are part of the high fashion mystique. But when it comes to equally skilled artisans outside Europe, their work is often seen through a colonial lens as “ethnic,” “rustic,” or “traditional,” terms which marginalize the complexity and innovation of their work.
An elegant cream and pink tulle dress by Maria Grazia Chiuri in Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams exhibition. Photo courtesy of Ralu Spatareanu / Shutterstock.
Grazia Chiuri, to her credit, challenged this narrative—though the industry still has a long way to go. She consistently sought to spotlight global artisans and traditional crafts, bringing rare political and cultural awareness to her work. Still, her efforts took place within a Western luxury system that often extracts more than it gives back. The artisans she worked with were often presented collectively, their contributions folded into Dior’s creative identity, rather than celebrated as independent collaborators. In contrast, emerging models—like Ralph Lauren’s recent partnerships with individual Indigenous artists—are beginning to offer more transparent approaches that recognize artisans not just as contributors, but as co-creators.
Luxury fashion houses can take meaningful, long-term steps to engage with and champion global artisans—but it requires moving beyond surface-level collaborations and marketing. For example, designers like Carla Fernández co-create with artisans, involving them in the design process from the concept stage and giving them creative credit in the process. Along with that goes ensuring fair compensation and profit sharing or royalty models for artisans and their work instead of just paying them by piece with the bulk of profits going toward the brand. And finally, instead of presenting artisan contributions as anonymous or collective, amplify their voices by telling individual stories or producing a campaign that showcases the entire community; not only will this highlight their skills and the artistry behind the work, but will also help to preserve the unique culture, craft and knowledge that inform it.
Maria Grazia Chiuri photo courtesy of Delbo Andrea / Shutterstock.
