It begins, as all legends do, in a quiet childhood dream. In the seaside gardens of Granville, a young Christian Dior collected blossoms and sketched silhouettes, a boy entranced not by the ordinary but by beauty’s promise. He would grow into a man who turned that dream into destiny—defying post-war austerity with a single swish of fabric. In 1947, when the world was still reeling from the shadows of war, Dior dared to bring back voluptuousness, glamour, and romance. His “New Look” exploded onto the scene with cinched waists, sculpted Bar jackets, and skirts that blossomed like roses in full bloom. Critics applauded; pragmatists scowled. But the world never looked the same again. A new age of femininity—triumphant, indulgent, fearless—had arrived.
Christian Dior by Marc Bohan
Miss Dior scarf in printed silk twill.
Circa 1970
Dior Héritage collection, Paris
Concept and photography by Brigitte Niedermair
From that moment, Dior became more than a couturier. He became a conjurer of fantasy. And for nearly eight decades, the House of Dior has remained a cathedral of couture, where audacity meets virtuosity and dreams are cut, stitched, and draped into existence.
Now, in November 2025, that dream unfurls in Southeast Asia for the very first time. UBS House of Craft x Dior will take over the gleaming halls of the New Art Museum Singapore—the largest exhibition space in Southeast Asia—for a three-day celebration of fashion, photography, and the eternal magic of couture. For Singapore’s cosmopolitan elite and fashion pilgrims across Asia, this will be the pilgrimage of the season.
Dior’s Eternal Theatre of Dreams
What is Dior without theatre? The maison has always known that fashion is not only cloth, but spectacle—an intoxicating act of seduction. Who could forget John Galliano, enfant terrible of British fashion, who stormed Dior’s runways with operatic extravagance: gowns that became sculptures, corsetry as rebellion, shows that blurred fantasy with provocation? His audacity reminded us that couture is not safe—it is art with teeth.
Then came Maria Grazia Chiuri, the first woman to lead Dior, who redefined the maison for a new age. Her silhouettes are sharp yet fluid, armouring women with strength and sensuality. Her Dior is a manifesto: fashion created by women, for women.
Captured by Marie-Laure Dutel
And most recently, at Paris Fashion Week, Jonathan Anderson stunned critics with his guest-designed Dior Spring/Summer 2026 collection. Drawing from 18th-century aristocratic decadence and the house archives, Anderson reimagined couture with wit, pageantry, and historical echoes. His vision proved again that Dior is not frozen in nostalgia—it is a living dialogue between past and present, heritage and reinvention.
It is little wonder then that women across the world still fall helplessly under Dior’s spell. From the Lady Dior bag, with its unmistakable Cannage quilt dancing across exotic skins and buttery leathers, to the endlessly reinterpreted Bar jacket, Dior pieces are not just garments—they are objets d’art, talismans of power and desire. Add to that the crimson kiss of Dior Beauté, the luminous glow of its palettes, and the intoxicating trail of Miss Dior or J’Adore, and you understand: Dior is not merely fashion. Dior is fantasy made flesh.
A House of Craft, A House of Legacy
It is precisely this world of craftsmanship and dream-weaving that UBS House of Craft seeks to honour. UBS launched the initiative in 2024 to celebrate mastery across couture, horology, and gastronomy, underscoring the bank’s own philosophy: banking is our craft.
Christian Dior by Yves Saint Laurent
Rose rouge dress in red organza.
Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1959
Dior Héritage collection, Paris Concept and photography by Brigitte Niedermair
For its Southeast Asian chapter, UBS has partnered with Dior to present a landmark exhibition co-curated by none other than Carine Roitfeld, the legendary former Editor-in-Chief of Vogue Paris. Roitfeld’s daring, provocative lens has shaped decades of contemporary fashion. Known as the “Queen of French fashion,” she defined an era—launching icons like Kate Moss and Gisele Bündchen, styling campaigns for Tom Ford and Givenchy, and curating amfAR’s iconic Cannes runway shows that raised millions for AIDS research. Her touch guarantees one thing: this exhibition will not merely display couture—it will ignite it.
At the heart of the program is a breathtaking new photographic series by acclaimed artist Brigitte Niedermair. With a career spanning nearly three decades and a 12-year collaboration with Dior, Niedermair’s lens is singular: luminous, reverent, hauntingly modern. For this exhibition, she has been granted unprecedented access to Dior’s archives, capturing iconic creations from each of Dior’s artistic directors—Christian Dior himself, followed by Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri. Together, they form Dior’s Magnificent Seven, joined by a special tribute to Kim Jones.
Christian Dior
Bar ensemble, Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1947 Dior Héritage collection, Paris
Concept and photography by Brigitte Niedermair
Styled by Roitfeld and lensed by Niedermair, the images form a gallery of Dior’s greatest hits—visions of heritage and innovation suspended in time, yet breathing with startling immediacy.
Singapore: The New Stage of Luxury
Why Singapore? Because no other Asian metropolis so seamlessly embodies heritage and innovation, old-world elegance and modern ambition. The city is now a critical hotspot in the global luxury map, where Dior and its peers find a clientele as discerning as they are devoted. In a time of economic uncertainty, the appetite for craftsmanship, timelessness, and enduring value has only grown stronger.
Christian Dior by Yves Saint Laurent
Montréal coat, Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1958
Dior Héritage collection, Paris
Concept and photography by Brigitte Niedermair
UBS House of Craft x Dior promises not only to celebrate Dior’s legacy but to spark conversations about the future of luxury itself. Across three days—from November 21 to 23, 2025—the exhibition will host intimate panels, craft demonstrations, and workshops that invite fashion lovers to look beyond the surface glamour and into the hands, minds, and spirits that build couture.
The Urge of Now
Dior has always thrived on urgency—the sense that beauty is fleeting, and that the most exquisite experiences must be seized in the moment. To miss this exhibition is to miss an unrepeatable chance to stand in the presence of Dior’s eight decades of genius, reinterpreted for our time by fashion’s fiercest voices.
Christian Dior
Bar jacket in ecru shantung.
Haute Couture Spring-Summer 1947
Christian Dior by John Galliano
Dress in red satin embroidered with gold and silver beads and paillettes with rhinestone jewelry.
Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2004 Dior Héritage collection, Paris
Concept and photography by Brigitte Niedermair
When the doors of the New Art Museum Singapore swing open on November 21, it will not simply be an exhibition. It will be a ritual of reverence, a theatre of craft, a love letter to the house that has defined desire since 1947.
And for the devoted, the curious, the dreamers, and the disciples of Dior: there will be only one question—will you be there, or will you spend the next decade regretting that you weren’t?
Registration will be free and open to the public at https://www.ubs.com/sg/en/wealthmanagement/about-us/craft/hoc-sg/registration.html
*Photos courtesy of UBS House of Craft.