Dior

Dior is a French luxury house founded in Paris by the couturier Christian Dior, with financial backing from the textile industrialist Marcel Boussac. The house dates its founding to 16 December 1946, though it traditionally celebrates 1947 as its opening year, when the debut collection appeared [1]. Its beauty arm, Parfums Christian Dior, traces its own start to 1947 with the women's fragrance Miss Dior [2]. Today the house spans fashion, leather goods and beauty; the perfume, makeup and skincare divisions belong to the portfolio of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, the parent group [2].

The brand remains an active global operation, with 532 retail locations worldwide as of 2026 [1]. Recent activity includes the opening of a Dior spa in New York in August 2025 and the appointment of Jonathan Anderson as creative director the same year.

Christian Dior opened his couture house at 30 Avenue Montaigne in Paris, working from three ateliers with a staff of 85. The founder was 41 at the time and had run a Paris art gallery before training as a dress designer under Lucien Lelong. On 12 February 1947 he unveiled his first collection, which became known as the "New Look" — a silhouette with a nipped-in waist and full, calf-length skirt. The look is credited with reviving the post-war French fashion industry and restoring Paris as a fashion capital.

There is a small discrepancy in the founding date depending on which part of the company is meant. Wikipedia's article on the fashion house records the founding as December 1946 [1], while its article on Parfums Christian Dior dates the beauty line to 1947 and the launch of Miss Dior. The two figures describe the couture house and the perfume division respectively, rather than a genuine dispute over a single event.

The early licensing program, established around 1950, placed the Christian Dior name on accessories and helped build the brand beyond couture. Eau Sauvage, the house's men's fragrance, followed in 1966, with the actor Alain Delon fronting the original campaign.

Ownership shifted over the following decades. Dior's perfume business was sold to Moët-Hennessy — later part of LVMH — in 1968 [1]. In 1984 Bernard Arnault acquired Dior for what was described as "one symbolic franc" [1], a transaction that became the foundation of his control over the wider luxury group. Later milestones include the launch of J'adore in 1999 and Sauvage in 2015, and the appointment of Francis Kurkdjian as creative director of perfume in 2021.

The beauty division operates under LVMH, which is described as "the world's largest luxury group" [2]. Christian Dior SE is the holding company that controls LVMH. Within the group, Dior sits alongside other fragrance and beauty houses including Guerlain, Givenchy, Acqua di Parma, Benefit Cosmetics and Make Up For Ever.

Parfums Christian Dior is organised into three divisions: fragrance, makeup and skincare. The fragrance line began with Miss Dior in 1947 and has since grown to include J'adore (1999), created by the perfumer Calice Becker, and the men's scent Sauvage (2015), developed by François Demachy. Makeup is built around lines such as Dior Addict, DiorSkin, Backstage and Diorshow, the last of these a mascara range.

Sauvage has become the division's central commercial product. According to WWD, it is the top-selling fragrance in the world among all scents, masculine and feminine combined, and has held that position annually since 2021 [3]. The report cited Parfums Christian Dior chief executive Véronique Courtois calling it "by far the world's bestselling item today in the fragrance business," and noted sales of more than 12 million units a year — roughly one bottle every 30 seconds. The actor Johnny Depp has fronted the Sauvage campaigns. J'adore, for its part, was described in a Who What Wear editorial as "one of the most iconic scents of all time" and "the height of luxury" [4].

Several controversies have attached to the wider house. In 2011 the creative director John Galliano was dismissed after making antisemitic remarks [1]. In 2022 the brand faced cultural-appropriation allegations over a mamianqun, a Chinese horse-face skirt, and a bird-and-flower pattern [1]. In 2024 its Italian subsidiary was placed under judicial administration in connection with labour exploitation in its supply chain [1]. In 2025 the company reported a data breach affecting customer information and drew criticism over a high-priced coat featuring unattributed Indian mukaish embroidery [1].

Dior is an active, global luxury house owned by LVMH. As of 2026 it operates 532 retail locations worldwide, and its most recent visible activity includes the 2025 opening of its New York spa and a new creative-director appointment.