ALEX GARDNER: DIOR LADY ART PROJECT

As part of the 7th edition for the Dior Lady Art project, artist Alex Gardner shares his own interpretation of the iconic Lady Dior bag. Addressing the concept of influence, Gardner transposed one of his pieces entitled “Malleability” onto the model as a commentary on how individuals can affect those around them through methods from manipulation to fashion. Using a holographic fabric juxtaposed with matte velvet, the dynamic bag captivates with its appearance and textural sensations.

The Lady Dior handbag has gone down in fashion history as one of the most iconic and coveted accessories of all time thanks to a famous early fan, Princess Diana. The style debuted in 1995 and was originally called the “Chouchou,” or “Favorite” in French. After the First Lady of France, Bernadette Chirac, gifted the People’s Princess the purse, the royal carried it so often, including to the 1996 Met Gala, it eventually became better known as the “Lady Dior” bag.

Over 25 years later, the design — with its signature structured boxy shape, “DIOR” charm and Cannage topstitching — remains a classic and one of the most recognizable styles from the maison.

The brand gave the bags an especially modern flair in 2016 when it tapped a select group of creatives to reinterpret the Lady Dior handbag with their own artistic visions. The results were so inspiring that Dior is about to release its seventh edition of the Dior Lady Art project featuring collaborations with 11 artists from around the world: Brian Calvin and Alex Gardner (California); Shara Hughes (New York); Dorothy Iannone (America, Berlin-based); Ghada Amer (Egypt); Sara Cwynar (Canada, Brooklyn-based); Minjung Kim (South Korea, based in France, Italy and USA); Zhenya Machneva (Russia); Françoise Pétrovitch (France); Wang Yuyang (China); and Bouthanyna Al Muftah (Qatar).

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