Dior to showcase pre-fall collection at Gateway Of India on March 30

Dior is set to hold its next fashion show at the Gateway of India in Mumbai on March 30 — making it the first European luxury megabrand to stage its major standalone show in India. Creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri will be presenting Dior's 2023 pre-fall collection at the monument at the month-end, and the collection would be available in stores in the following month.

It would feature evening coats, silk dresses, and skirts inspired by saris that reference traditional Indian silhouettes, the Business of Fashion reported.

Some of the pieces will have embroidery done by Chanakya, which is a craftsmanship school for women and an atelier based in Mumbai. The atelier has supplied surface ornamentation for quite a few luxury brands as well as couture houses. It has also produced some pieces for a few of Chiuri's shows in Paris.

Chiuri said Fashion is more than just 10 minutes on the runway. " It’s all the people that work together at this incredible project. am doing this show for love of this country, and how much they support my creativity. It is really something very personal," she told BoF.

Chiuri told BoF that for her to show in India also means to celebrate the country's heritage in embroidery and showcase how important it is in the fashion world.

Chiuri's partnership with Chankaya also reflects her mission of wanting to evolve Dior into a brand that is feminine in its sensibility and also feminist in its values. Most of the 'karigars' in the country have traditionally been male. The Chanakya School of Craft empowers women coming from low-income backgrounds with skills that enable them to earn a livelihood.

"It's really a project of sisterhood," said Chiuri, Dior's first-ever woman creative director, who has worked to advance the brand's collaboration with women photographers, artists and craftspeople.