Highlights of Dior 2021 cruise collection

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, while the rest of the fashion industry have moved to their shows to a digital platform, Dior stuck to the runway. For their 2021 cruise collection, Dior continued their resort season wear by hosting their runway in Puglia's Piazza del Duomoa in Lecce, a region of Italy located in the southern peninsular region bordering the Adriatic sea. But this runway wasn't just any ordinary runway, social distancing was also practiced by all models. Combined with a live and fully masked orchestra playing in the background, we were amazed by the ingenuity of the whole show, that was delivered to us digitally.

The runway show was very personal to Dior's creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri. Paying homage to her home country, the Italian designer exhibited her passion for her narrations between the world as it is today as well as long history between Paris and Lecce.

Italy was one of the first and biggest places to be hit hardest by the coronavirus. The fact that Dior chose to 'bring people together' during times of isolation helps breathe life into the sorely missed fashion runways, many of which were cancelled and moved on to a digital platform. Despite the distance between people these days, bringing in a new perspective to our daily lives has provided us with newfound strength and perspective, said Chiuri.

The city's famous history with bohemian art, agriculture, as well as arts and crafts are all part of the inspiration for the cruise collection. Rooted in the brand's culture, Dior has always been rooted in their culture of tradition; and that's what exactly what we saw in this show. Handbags were not shy from the spotlight; the collection features a mix of new silhouettes and updated Dior classics. Notable ones include the Dior Book Tote, the Catherine Tote, the Lady Dior and Dior Saddle, all of which showcased Puglia's heritage colours such as beige and colourful floral designs.

Dior's ideas and ingenious executions set them far apart without a doubt. Combined with the craze, hype and talk of their recent Dior Air Jordan release, it comes to no surprise why Dior is at the forefront of the fashion industry.