The gaze is surprisingly shy. On that day in 1949, Christian Dior posed for his close collaborator, the German photographer Willy Maywald, in front of the entrance to 30, avenue Montaigne, headquarters of the fashion house he founded in Paris at the end of 1946. He would have had enough swagger. In just two years, he was successful. He created a silhouette with marked hips and waist, contrary to the austerity of the war and the shortages of fabrics, and which will be baptized “New Look” by the American press. He imagined a perfume, Miss Dior, dressed the elegant all over the world.
But he flees the lens, as if embarrassed by the majesty of this building where everything began, in an almost modest way. ” Originally, he would write later, [la boutique] It was only intended to offer a choice of trinkets, such as jewellery, flowers and scarves, but it was not long before she manifested other ambitions. »
Dreamy as he was, Christian Dior could not have imagined the evolution of 30, avenue Montaigne. There are no more trinkets, but still jewelry, flowers and scarves, and many other things. Collections of men’s and women’s ready-to-wear, accessories, tableware, decorative objects… And this for decades. But the address has just been reinvented.
show of strength
On March 6, the house inaugurated Dior 30 Montaigne, after two years of work. Under this name, 10,000 square meters devoted to the luxury brand. There is therefore, of course, a 2,000 square meter boutique, but also a gallery, which presents, over 1,800 square meters, the history of Christian Dior and the house, a restaurant and a café-patisserie (at menus designed by chef Jean Imbert), in-house workshops, lounges devoted to tailor-made and haute couture, gardens and even a suite where the (very) privileged can sleep.
The world of luxury has an expression: “flagship store”, or “flagship”. Either the most emblematic address of a house, the one whose interior layout, the services offered to customers and even the layout of the products will guide the communication of the brand. The expression spread from the 2000s when, boosted by the growth of the world of luxury, brands competed in architectural prowess. But 30 Montaigne can hardly be called a “flagship store” as the place takes on another dimension and gives access to the “Dior ecosystem”.
The demonstration of force that is the Dior 30 Montaigne is a reflection of the health of the house. This, with 240 stores around the world, is one of the flagships of the LVMH group. If Louis Vuitton is ahead of it, the house on Avenue Montaigne occupies a very special place for Bernard Arnault. It was his first foray into the world of luxury when he bought the Boussac group, financial partner of Christian Dior, in 1984. It is also at 30, avenue Montaigne that the third richest man in the world had then set up his office.
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