Dior travels to Kyoto for a cherry blossom-inspired fashion show

Though it feels like only a few weeks ago that the fashion world was immersed in the back-to-back shows of Autumn/Winter 2025, for a number of major luxury brands, it's already onto the next.

Yesterday marked the official start of the Pre-Fall and Resort 2025 show season, which sees industry insiders, VIP clients and major celebrities travel to various glamorous destinations around the world. Their first stop? Kyoto, for Maria Grazia Chiuri's latest Dior collection—this time inspired by the Maison's historic ties to Japan, as well as cherry blossom season.

Though he never visited Japan during his lifetime, Christian Dior regularly took inspiration from its rich culture, as seen in his use of local textiles, artistic motifs, and coats specifically designed to be worn over kimonos. He was also the first Western couturier to offer his collections there in 1953.

Chiuri's Pre-Fall 2025 show was thus a continuation of Mr Dior's decades-long fascination with Japan, albeit with her own modern twist.

Set against the striking backdrop of Kyoto's Toji Temple, surrounded by sakura trees in bloom, and with the likes of Lily James, Deva Cassel, Sonam Kapoor and Elle Macpherson sitting front-row, models emerged in a series of looks featuring kimono-esque cuts, origami-like pleating, rich floral embroidery, and elegant silk prints.

Certain pieces feature the same motifs selected by Mr Dior for his own designs more than 70 years ago, while Chiuri also tasked Tatsumura Textile with crafting exquisite fabrics for the collection, continuing the Maison's founding couturier's close collaboration with the historic jacquard silk weaving workshops decades later. Collaborations with expert Japanese artisans, including milliner Sawa Vaughters and the Fukuda family—founders of a dyeing and embroidery research institute—also helped bring the collection to life.

Alternating between sleek Japanese minimalism, ultra-feminine dresses, elevated denim, lustrous leather, historic references, local craftsmanship, and all-out opulence in couture-worthy details, Chiuri's Pre-Fall 2025 show truly had it all.