Christian Dior: A Man Who Started His Career At 41, Changed Fashion, Died Early

By | March 7, 2020

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Christian Dior circa 1950. (Photo by Eugene KAMMERMAN/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Christian Dior is one of the most well known names in fashion. Following World War II his designs splashed across the pages of magazines and they’re still catwalking down the runway, but when hit the scene he wasn’t some young designer - he was in his 40s. Dior’s story is one a man who spent his entire life trying to reach the heights of the fashion industry after a childhood spent searching for a place to be. When his goal was sidelined by the war he didn’t give up, he picked up right where he left off before he enlisted and turned his name into one of the most trusted brands of the 20th century and beyond. Dior’s success story shows that you don’t have to be young to follow your dreams.

Dior Was The Second Of Five Children

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source: hello magazine

Born in the coastal town of Granville, France, Christian Dior was the second of five children in a well to do family. His father, Maurice Dior, was a wealthy fertilizer manufacturer who moved the family to Paris when Christian was five years old. His parents hoped that he would get into politics and possibly become a diplomat, but Dior wasn’t interested in that world. He wanted to be an artist. Initially he sold his own sketches and prints in the streets of Paris for 10 cents a pop, and by 1928 he had enough money (with help from his father) to open his own small gallery. Dior and his friends sold their own work as well as pieces by Pablo Picasso (heard of him?) until they shut down due to financial difficulties during the Great Depression.