BLOOMING BOUQUET: Dior is teasing its pre-fall show in Japan with a campaign shot by Yuriko Takagi, a frequent collaborator of the French fashion house.
The Japanese photographer has produced a series of hazy images that play with perspective and reflections to showcase multiple angles of the women’s collection designed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, which is set to be unveiled on April 15 in the garden of Tō-ji Temple in Kyoto.
It was the first glimpse of the pre-fall collection, which is usually shown to press in December, with the runway show timed to coincide with its arrival in stores. Dior this year kept the line under wraps, amid speculation of impending creative changes at the house.
In tune with the location, floral patterns abound. Hand-painted blooms appear on a kimono-style coat, a sleeveless dress hemmed with fringing and a Dior Book Tote. Meanwhile, flowering branches are embroidered on pale sheer chiffon tunics in watery pastel tones.
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Japanese models Hanaka Hori and Rinno Ogahara are joined by Franco Japanese model Mika Schneider, Jamaican model Dru Campbell and Italian model Claudia Campana in the campaign, which is styled by Elin Svahn, with art direction by Margot Populaire. Peter Philips did the makeup, and Olivier Schawalder was in charge of hair.
Founder Christian Dior first showcased his collections in Japan in 1953, and the house has maintained strong cultural links with the country ever since.
Takagi studied graphic design at Musashino Art University in Tokyo and fashion design at Trent Polytechnic in Nottingham, England, where one of her teachers was Pauline Denyer, the wife of British designer Paul Smith. When Takagi crossed over into photography, Smith was among the first to commission her work.
However, she is best known for a series of documentary-style images showcasing Issey Miyake’s designs on local inhabitants in Kenya, India, China and Morocco, a project known as “Pleats Please Travel Through the World.”
She has worked with Dior on several occasions, producing life-size photographs of dancers in motion wearing the house’s vintage designs for an exhibition in 2023 at La Galerie Dior in Paris celebrating its collaborations with female artists.
Takagi created a separate series for the Tokyo leg of the “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams” retrospective. She captured looks using an eight-second shutter speed to create the impression of stillness and movement in one shot.
“I feel that all the clothes, the dresses, have their own emotion inside. I want to make portraits of each [outfit] like I do with humans,” Takagi said in a behind-the-scenes video.
