Did you know that traditional Japanese art textiles are used in the creations of the world-famous fashion brand “Dior”?

The “Christian Dior, Couturier of Dreams” exhibition currently being held at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo has been a great success every day since its opening, showing over 75 years of Dior’s history and his beautiful haute couture collection in one precious exhibit. The exhibition, which has only a few days left until the end of the exhibition, focuses on “Dior’s ties with Japan” as one of its themes. Among the must-see exhibits is the collection using materials provided by Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono as a part of its relationship with Japan. In this article, we will reintroduce the unknown history of the collaboration between Dior in Paris and Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono in Kyoto as one of the highlights of the exhibition. Please visit the exhibition venue with this information in hand to upgrade your view of the exhibition.

©YURIKO TAKAGI Source: Christian Dior, Couturier of dreams https://www.mot-art-museum.jp/exhibitions/Christian_Dior/

About Japan and Monsieur Dior

The “Christian Dior, Couturier of Dreams” exhibition is based on the theme of the dream world that inspired Christian Dior, the founder of Dior, and has fascinated many people in the fashion world and beyond.

Christian Dior, Couturier of Dreams” exhibition view (2022) Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo　©︎DAICI ANO

Following the success of this exhibition at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris, it traveled to London and New York before finally coming to Tokyo, Japan. It is well known that this exhibition is positioned as a special exhibition that honors the sincere and precious bond between Dior and Japan.

Christian Dior, Couturier of Dreams” exhibition view (2022) Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo　©︎DAICI ANO

Exhibition view: ©︎Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono

Christian Dior, who had been familiar with Japanese culture since childhood, was the first Western fashion brand to land in Japan during the postwar transition to Western-style clothing. 1953 saw the signing of partnership agreements with the spinning company Kanebo and the department store Daimaru, which originated as kimono stores. Based on patterns provided by Christian Dior, the company began manufacturing and selling garments using fabrics from each company. This trend spread to Japanese tailoring schools, and Dior’s brilliant style spread throughout the country. Dior was inseparable from Japanese fashion culture.

Fabrics of Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono that fascinated Dior

Against this backdrop, many fabric samples were sent to Dior from Japan in 1953 as part of the promotion of Japanese silk exports. Among them, the one that caught Monsieur Dior’s eye and fascinated him was “Soun-ji Bundai-gire” a silk fabric finished by Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono of Kyoto. The encounter with this “Soun-ji patterned fabric,” with its gold and silver threads and brightly colored threads, elegant colors, and lustrous luster, was a miraculous chance encounter that matched Dior’s fashion philosophy and world view.

Christian Dior holding Japanese fabrics such as Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono©︎Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono

Dior was so taken by the beauty of Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono’s silk fabrics that he incorporated them into his fall/winter 1954 collection, which he named “Utamaro,” “Tokio,” and “Rashomon,” respectively, The following year, in 1954, he used silk fabrics for his fall/winter collection, which was named “Utamaro,” “Tokio,” and “Rashomon,” respectively. You can see these works in this exhibition.

Exhibition view of “Rashomon” using fabrics from Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono©︎Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono

The “Soun-ji Bundai-gire” is loved by many people of all ages as a gem that expresses the aesthetic sense of Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono, which is imbued with history and tradition, even in the modern age. It is still being produced and is available on the Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono website. If you are interested in this product, please see the special feature page below.

Soun-ji Bundai-gire textile©︎Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono

Wedding Dresses Loved by the Imperial Family

In 1954, Christian Dior, fascinated by Japanese culture, designed the dress worn by Empress Michiko (the current Empress) on her wedding day, using fabric woven by Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono. The event of creating a dress that harmonized Dior’s unique sense of color with the texture of Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono attracted many people across generations.

The Imperial Family and Dior©︎Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono / Michiko (current Empress) wearing a robe décolleté©︎ Keystone-France/Gamma-Rapho

For the wedding parade dress (robe décolleté), “Meiki Zuicho Nishiki” by Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono was used. Meiki Zuicho Nishiki is a silk fabric with very auspicious designs such as phoenixes and dragons woven into it with gold and silver threads, and it was truly a fabric suitable for a blessed beginning of a new life.

The textiles of Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono, woven with supreme skill and beauty, were connected with the haute couture culture, the pinnacle of French mode, and the birth of the iconic dress was a historic event that defined the relationship between Dior and Japan.

What do haute couture and Japanese “Takumi” craftsmanship have in common?

Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono textiles and haute couture culture, the pinnacle of French mode, have one thing in common: savoir-faire. Monsieur Dior’s wish to “make women more beautiful and happy” has been passed down to the present day, along with the many creations created by these master artisans. At Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono, too, the artisanal techniques are being passed down from generation to generation, and the establishment of the art textile genre and its appeal is being communicated even today.

Iku Tatsumura, President of Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono, had the following to say about the exhibition.

In the 1950s, we proposed two types of fabrics to Mr. Dior: “fabrics designed for French (European) taste” and “meibutsu rips (fabrics originally used for tea ceremony utensils), which we have been restoring for a long time. Mr. Dior chose the latter. I believe that Mr. Dior instantly recognized the essence of Japanese culture condensed in high purity and understood its merits. I think this was an epoch-making moment that proved that fabrics that had been living and breathing in Japan, which at the time was far away from Europe, both materially and spiritually, could also be used in the world. We are still remembering our good fortune to witness such a moment and the excitement we felt, and we are striving to produce art fabrics every day with “the highest quality” as our company motto. I am sure that visitors to the exhibition will be able to enjoy the long-lasting footprints of Dior and Japan with all their senses. We invite you to visit the exhibition.

Monsieur Dior’s love of the atelier (workshop) and passion for craftsmanship that support beauty, and Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono’s commitment to supreme craftsmanship and beauty, both of which have been passed down from generation to generation, have much in common. In the “Christian Dior, Couturier of Dreams” exhibition, visitors can fully enjoy Dior’s relentless pursuit of beauty and the beauty and high quality of Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono’ fabrics.

Events and Media Information

Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono will continue to transmit its world-class art textile techniques and designs to further deepen and expand the ties established with Dior and Japanese culture. If you are interested in Tatsumura Bijutsu Orimono products as a result of this exhibition, we hope you will take one of our products in your hands. Please visit our official brand website for more information and our convenient online store.