Dior took everyone to the woods with its sustainability-focused SS20 show

The garden is central to Dior’s history. As an avid gardener, Christian Dior's designs were inspired and nourished by the flowers and plants he surrounded himself with, and Maria Grazia Chiuri, now head of the storied house, is no different. 

Drawing inspiration from photographs of Christian Dior’s sister, Catherine, in which she is seen standing in her own garden surrounded by flowers, the designer built further on this theme for SS20, just a few months after presenting a Haute Couture show among a series of blooming rose bushes. 

Bringing the outdoors in this season, the show saw models weave their way around a series of trees, all of which had a label reading #plantingforthefuture hanging from their branches. Chiuri's aim was to create an ‘inclusive garden’, according to the show’s accompanying notes. All of the trees were sourced from nurseries France, Germany, and Italy, where they were taken because they were dying and in need of urgent care owing to Paris’s ‘subtropical climate’.

“The idea was not just to think about the garden as inspiration for pretty prints for clothes; that’s not appropriate for the times we are living in. I know the history of the house of Dior very well, so it was about creating a dialogue with the present. Right now, we are all too aware of the importance of sustainability, and the state of the planet,” the designer told Vogue post-show.

In-keeping with the show's botanical themes and the female gardener Chiuri drew inspiration from, the collection was full of floral prints, as seen across taffeta and organza gowns, oversized knitwear, and tailored suits. Looks were finished with raffia hats and worker boots. Elsewhere, hints of tie-dye were seen across trousers and long, flowing slip dresses. 

Though the house of Dior has not followed in the footsteps of Burberry and Dior by making its show carbon neutral this season, the subject of saving the earth is clearly on Chiuri's mind – with the trees from the show due to be re-planted in the Paris region in the coming weeks.

Check out the full gallery above and take an in-depth look at the set below.