Sixty-five years after Christian Dior’s collection first bowed in Sydney, his brand is finally getting its own Australian flagship.
Christian Dior SA today will open an 8,072-square-foot store at 65 Castlereagh Street here, one block down from David Jones — the Australian department store which presented 50 original Christian Dior creations in 1948, the first time Dior’s collection had been shown outside Paris.
It is the world’s first Dior boutique to carry the debut spring ready-to-wear collection designed by new creative director Raf Simons, as well as two limited-edition products created exclusively for the Sydney launch — a soft pink version of the Lady Dior handbag and a silk duchesse satin Roses printed dress.
The latest addition to Australia’s burgeoning luxury brand lineup, which has seen an acceleration of new openings and refurbishments over the past two years, the store will sell the complete women’s and men’s rtw collections for the first time, as well as leather goods, shoes, sunglasses, scarves, jewelry and timepieces.
According to Christian Dior SA chief executive officer Sidney Toledano, who was in town for Thursday night’s opening, Christian Dior has experienced double-digit growth over the past three years in Australia, where the company operates boutiques within David Jones’ Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne stores, and DFS Galleria in Sydney’s Rocks district. – wwd