Dior’s newest address is to be found in Seoul. Its curvaceous architecture designed by Christian de Portzamparc conceals a wealth of surprises. In a decor made of wood, lacquers, leathers, amazing weaves and innovative melanges to excite the senses, Peter Marino has chosen to welcome visitors with a suspended sculpture by Korean artist Lee Bul. The staircase is conceived as an unfurling ribbon that guides shoppers to the women’s ready-to-wear collections, leather goods, shoes, jewelry, watches and perfumes. But also to the Dior Homme space, and to an art gallery with a private salon where photographs by Robert Polidori, among others, are on show. The top floor is home to the Café Dior by Pierre Hermé. The animation Movie Toile by Oyoram is placed around the staircase. These video works, conceived as portholes, reveal fabrics in movement, timepieces and Paris cityscapes. This new, full-sized location perfectly evokes the history of the House in the most contemporary of visions.
“I thought about the movement of the fabrics, the weaving effects, and I created a facade that would explore these elements,” the architect explains. “This white softness is like the couturier’s toile when he’s at work. It has a sense of movement that plays with light. This sculptural suppleness was my starting point.” The House archives also inspired the building’s final form: the movement of those immense architectural sails is strongly reminiscent of the dresses Cyclone and Cocotte, designed by Christian Dior in 1948. With the House of Dior building , his two great passions, for haute couture and architecture, come together in a unique creation.
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