Perfect Harmony

With its Cruise 2020 collection showcase in Marrakech, Dior has redefined the meaning of global luxury

- Butool Jamal

Culture teaches us to live together, teaches us that we’re not alone in the world, that other people have different traditions and ways of living that are just as valid as our own.” This extract from the book Racism Explained to My Daughter by Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun was one of the starting points for the Dior Cruise 2020 collection. Earlier this year, the French fashion house hosted industry experts, celebrities, and its most exclusive clientele in Marrakech. Along with the chance to watch some exquisite fashion and tick a new destination off your bucket list, the show was also an education in how big brands can respectfully work with the countries and cultures they frequently—and so easily—cite as inspiration.

The day before the show, guests were given a whirlwind tour of the north African city with a focus on its ties to the house of Dior. It included a visit to Villa Oasis, the charming home of former artistic director Yves Saint Laurent, who was born in Algeria and for whom Morocco was an infinite source of inspiration. A dinner at the Moorish Palais de la Bahia, built in the 19th century, was accompanied by an exhibition of Saint Laurent designs created during his time at the house. It included, among others, a white wool coat from 1960 named Marrakech. But Dior’s links to Morocco go further back as well. Right to 1951 when Monsieur Dior partnered with Maison Joste, a Casablanca-based boutique, for a dual label,‘Christian Dior—Joste —Exclusivité au Maroc’, which would continue until the Seventies.