John Galliano for Dior: The Fashion Provocateur.
John Galliano's tenure at Dior epitomized bold creativity and controversy. His arrival in 1996 revitalized Dior with a daring, theatrical approach, blending historical elegance with avant-garde vision.
Among his most controversial shows was the bondage-inspired Fall 2000 Haute Couture collection. It featured BDSM characters, LGBTQ+ suggestions, blushing brides, and even... a pope. By combining fetishism, sexuality and religion he shocked his audience leaving some of them inspired and others disgusted.
In December 2010, Galliano insulted a group of Italian women in Paris which was caught on camera. The video resurfaced in February 2011, just before Paris Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2011/2012. Following his racist and antisemitic remarks he was dismissed from his role as creative director at Christian Dior. After that, Galliano faced public and legal scrutiny that overshadowed his groundbreaking contributions.
In 2018 Met Gala theme “Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination,” was partially inspired by Galliano’s “transgressive” Fall 2000 Couture collection for Dior.
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