Few have as much celebrity cache as Dior when it comes to luxury brands. Just about every star you can think of has worn Dior at some point or other, whether they’re dressing to impress for award shows or just lounging around in jeans. But which particular women have represented Dior over the years?
Some of the Iconic women associated with the brand include Jennifer Jones, Arlene Dahl, Gene Tierney, Princess Margaret, Veruschka Pfetzing, Laetitia Casta, Nastassja Kinski, Gwyneth Paltrow, Jennifer Lawrence, Marion Cotillard, Lady Gaga, Selena Gomez, Lee Na Young, Léa Seydoux, and so many more.
Faces of Dior:
In The Beginning
The first woman who became the face of Dior was American actress Jennifer Jones during the 1940s. Jones was an American actress known for her brilliance and advocacy for mental health. Her career lasted for over 50 years, in which she won five different Oscars. She is considered one of the youngest actresses to win an Academy Award at 25 and on her birthday.
In the movie ‘Indiscretion of an American wife,’ Jones was known as the Dior-clothed adulteress and elegantly dressed housewife of a conservative mind who went to Rome from Philadelphia to visit her sister. The movie was two hours long, with the protagonist wearing the same outfit the entire movie. Jennifer was clothed in a double-breasted Dior suit light color, a mink trippet, dark pumps, and a beanie.
Jennifer was known as the Dior woman for over ten years, in which she was widely recognized for classy looks. The title would stay with her until 1952 when actress Arlene Dahl took over as spokesmodel.
However, Dahl’s tenure was brief, and Gene Tierney soon replaced her in 1953. The actress-turned-royal Princess Margaret would replace her shortly after, taking up the mantle until 1960. It is believed that during this time, the “Tie Back” dress was designed for Princess Margaret, arguably Dior’s most iconic dress.
Following Princess Margaret was British actress Leslie Caron in 1961. She would be the face of Dior until 1966 when supermodel Veruschka Pfetzing became the spokeswoman. The German model would hold this title until 1972, at which point she famously parted ways with Dior after David Bowie refused to wear Dior perfume because he believed it “smelt like a woman’s handbag.” They brought in Brazilian model Laetitia Casta to take over as spokesmodel in 1999, who held the position until 2004.
The Closer star Nastassja Kinski took over from 2004 through 2010, her last campaign being shot by Mario Sorrenti for their perfume J’adore. The list of women who have represented Dior would not be complete without mentioning the famous “Bar” dress created in 1947 and has since become an iconic design. Gwyneth Paltrow in 1999 and Jennifer Lawrence at the 2013 Oscars, the two women who brought it back to fame.
In 2010, the famous blue “smoking” dress worn by Jennifer Lawrence 2013 was brought back to fame by French actress Marion Cotillard, who won an Oscar for her role in La Vie en Rose. The dress also made a comeback on other notable actresses such as Lady Gaga and Selena Gomez.
The last face of Dior is South Korean actress and singer Lee Na Young who debuted this title in 2011. She has been a model since 2000, but it wasn’t until she appeared in the breath-taking commercial campaign for Dior’s Eau Sauvage that she became a household name. For four years, she represented Dior internationally, walking countless runways with poise and grace before leaving at the end of 2015.
French actress Léa Seydoux was appointed by Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. The replacement was announced last year, but Dior’s first official appearance will be at the 2016 Met Gala, where all eyes will be on this beautiful woman as she makes her debut wearing a custom-made haute couture dress designed especially for the red-carpet event.
Her predecessor is South Korean actress and singer Lee Na Young who held the title for four years until 2015. She represented Dior internationally, walking countless runways with poise and grace before leaving at the end of 2015. Nastassja Kinski took over from 2004 through 2010, representing Dior, her last campaign being shot by Mario Sorrenti for their perfume J’adore.
The constant empowering of women by the Dior brand does not look like it’s about to end as the brand continues to put even the younger generation of women in the spotlight that only they can afford to, making classy and timeless media content with even the younger ones, some of which include:
1. CHARLIZE THERON
It’s the year 2004, and this gorgeous and super talented actress has just been revealed as the face of the brand’s J’adore perfume. This makes her the first celebrity to be signed by the brand. She was signed to star in a campaign that would earn her a total of £2 million.
The film created for the campaign was by Romain Gavras. It represents grand and awe-inspiring fearlessness as it tells the tale of a J’adore woman through several sensual scenes. In the film, Theron was dressed in a dripping gold dress designed by Maria Grazia Chuiri, a part of the Spring-summer 2018 Haute collection, a dress created from the inspiring design of the Songe.
The fragrance film opens with Charlize in a bathhouse, with a couple of other girls watching her have a bath. She is made to look like a goddess with everything slightly shiny, golden, moist, luxurious, and highly sensual. We then see her rising from the bathtub before the film cuts to her walking out with a girl squad as formidable escorts behind her.
The campaign celebrated the tenth anniversary of the J’adore fragrance, and it debuted in 1999. As you can imagine that the film depicted, the fragrance is a celebration of everything woman and femineity. It’s a beautiful burst of floral and fruity scent found in Grasse Jasmin.
Dior perfumer Francois Demachy explained the process of handpicking these flowers, noting that they must be picked in the opening sunrays, availing them the time to bring out their fruity and apricot fragrances with the approaching cool and cooling evening air. The perfume is finished with notes of honey, roses, and sweet oranges.
2. NATALIE PORTMAN
In 2021, Natalie celebrated her tenth anniversary of being Dior’s face, a role that she is known for just as much as she is known for her brilliance on the screen.
While this wouldn’t be the first time the then 28 years old actress would involve herself in gigs that didn’t have anything to do with the screens, one of which Is the Te Casan vegan shoe collection, being the face of Dior would be her first introduction into the world of beauty products and brands.
The president and CEO of Parfums, Christian Dior, commented on being excited to have “Miss Portman embody our house.” She also added that Portman would gracefully represent the core value and essence of the luxury and glamour of the Dior brand.
In a 2019 interview, Natalie talked about her belief in representing brands, saying that she doesn’t have issues with making money, but she, however, doesn’t support getting involved in things she doesn’t believe in just for money-making purposes. This is why it is no surprise that she has stayed the face of the brand for this long, staying relevant and loyal to the beauty brand.
While commenting on the tenth anniversary in an interview with Bazaar magazine, Portman declares that it’s an honor to be associated with the story. The famous Eau de perfume fragrance was inspired and created to honor and give tribute to Catherine, Christian Dior’s sister. Catherine was a resistance fighter during WW2.
The best way to describe the scent contained in the gorgeous bottle with a neck-tied bow is “a burst of colorful flowers.”
3. MILA KUNIS
I January of 2015, this young and stunning actress was announced as the new face of Christian Dior. In the announcement by the deputy general manager of the brand, Delphine Arnault, it was gathered that Kunis would be in a Spring’s fashion campaign for the high luxury fashion brand. The brilliant photographer, Mikael Jansson, will shoot this campaign.
Delphine also highlighted some of the qualities that helped Mila stand out to the brand enough to be signed on, and he mentioned her rare beauty and outstanding talent as an actress. He said Kunis is a highly talented young actress who completely expresses the modern woman’s qualities in an undeniably brilliant way. He mentioned her performance in the Black Swan, commenting on how remarkable she was, noting that “she is very gifted” and hinting at a long-term work relationship between her and the brand.
In reacting to this signing, Kunis responded by saying that she is just learning about curating a day-to-day fashion look, noting that while she doesn’t wear feminine apparel daily, she loves to be feminine on the red carpet. She also talked about recognizing Dior as an incredibly established fashion house, that she always considered them classy, beautiful, and feminine.
4. RIHANNA
Making history is not a new phenomenon to the excellent and beautiful Barbados singer, even as she adds another milestone to her long line of history-making. In 2105, Rihanna was revealed as the new face of Dior, making her the first black spokeswoman for the Dior brand.
Speaking with MTV on the news, she spoke about how fantastic it feels, adding that It is a huge deal for her, her culture, and many young girls out there regardless of their skin color. She said that an acknowledgment from a brand like Dior meant a lot to her as a woman, that it made her feel beautiful, elegant, and timeless.
Aside from being the first Black spokeswoman for the brand, she is also the first non-model to feature in the brand’s film series campaign—a campaign that previously featured women like Katlin Aas, Daria Strokous, and FeiFei Sun. The brilliant Inez and Vinoodh shot it at the Château de Versailles.
After almost 70 years on the market, dominating the beauty industry, one would imagine that it quite a big deal to see a brand like Dior take cognizance of a black lady, especially one as Iconic as Rihanna, who was to feature in the fourth installment of the Secret Garden film series. A campaign will be available on film and print, all shot by the world-renowned photographer, Steven Klien.
5. EMMA RADUCANU
When one is known for mesmerizing beauty, world-class talent, and a unique classy poise like Emma is known for, it’s only a matter of “when” for beauty and fashion brands to start laying their offers at her feet. Being 18 and having won her straight sets at the US Open against Leylah Fernandez in September 2021, with over two million followers on Instagram, fans were already waiting for the beauty brands that would successfully sign her, and they didn’t even have to wait for too long.
During the US Open, a previous deal ensured that all her on-court outfits were provided by Nike, while all the blings were from Tiffany and Co. Attending her first movie premiere, the James Bond no time to die premiere at the Royal Albert Hall, Raducanu had everyone talking with her glimmering one-shouldered dress from the 2022 Dior Cruise collection designed by the most talented Maria Grazia Chiuri.
On the 22nd of October 2021, the high-luxury and fashion brand confirmed the unveiling of Emma as the new ambassador and face. Raducanu is set to represent the womenswear collection by the creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri alongside the skincare and make-up collection, to be overseen by Peter Phillips.
When sharing the news on her Twitter page, she tweeted, “Very excited to join this iconic house, thank you, Dior.” Also, while speaking to Vogue on the deal, Emma commented on the empowering characteristic that marks Maria Grazia’s work, saying that the uniqueness in the dress cuts avails women the opportunity to feel confident and iconic. She also spoke on Chiuri’s shows, noting that the sincerity in her approach to her designs always makes her show more meaningful, admitting that this was also a part of what influenced her to join the brand.
6. YARA SHAHIDI
Perhaps Dior’s latest ambassadorship collaboration with Yara is one that isn’t all that surprising and has been lying in wait for a while. Shahidi, a full-time student at Harvard, is not new to the brand, either by their campaigns or dresses.
Yara has been spotted on the red carpet a couple of times wearing Dior including the 2021 Met Gala themed “In America: A lexicon of fashion” Shahidi was spotting a heavily beaded dress from Dior, with a matching veil. The 2021 Critics’ Choice Award also had her spotting a carefully embroidered top, a bell-sleeved blouse and a Tulle skirt from Dior, an item from Maria Grazia spring 2021 collection. In September of the same 2021, the grown-ish actress stole the show in her off-shoulder gown in electric green.
Shahidi had also worked with the brand earlier during the international women’s day “Dior stands for women” project. Charlize Theron created the campaign to inspire female-led education outreach in Africa. Yara attests to the quality of the brand’s other products by noting that Dior’s is the first foundation that didn’t break her skin. She also praised that team’s provision of several new eyeliner colors.
CONCLUSION
The consistent involvement of the Dior brand in promoting, empowering, and celebrating women didn’t just start today. It’s an intentional project that was birthed upon the appointment of Maria Grazia Chiuri as the creative director of the international brand. Her debut collection, the SS17, was such an awe-inspiring event, especially with the “We should all be feminists” tee-shirt.
Following the recent conversations on’ Dior talks,’ the brand has been centered on feminism and giving female voices hope. Following this, the Christian Dior brand put out 11 videos characterized by the hashtags #Diorstandswithwomen and #Diorchinup. The final result of the campaign was like a mosaic that contained loads of personal stories, dreams, and inspirations in the celebration of different women, telling their different stories and giving voices to their dreams, hopes, and aspirations.
This project supports and aligns with the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project and the CTAOP Youth Leaders scholarship, which is essentially about bringing all the different kinds of young women bound by feminism together in a bid to help shape their dreams.
Being a globally recognized and celebrated beauty brand, it’s a joy to see the Dior brand focusing on beauty beyond the surface, seeking to inspire beauty from within the woman by empowering her and celebrating her dreams.
