Eight lessons learnt from Dior and I movie

Dior. Just four little letters. But four letters that scream femininity, romance, extravagance and icon. How would you feel if you were a Belgian fashion designer known for your minimalist Ready-to-Wear style, and one day you’re announced as the new creative director at Christian Dior? What’s more your first Dior collection is due out in eight weeks. That’s what Raf Simons faced in April 2012.  Dior and I the movie allows us to tag along and see what happened, but it gives us so much more than that.

Thanks to Madman

Dior and I begins with Simons introduction to the Dior team, a team that literally speaks another language. As we watch Simons come to grips with the enormity of the task ahead, we not only become part of the ride, we also receive some value branding and management lessons along the way. Lessons like:

Thanks to Madman

Respect those who have gone before you One of the crucial decisions Simons made early on was to identify the key people in his team. Throughout the movie we get introduced to several key players within the Dior organisation, including seamstresses who’ve been with the organisation for 40 years. It was wonderful to meet the people behind the designs that have graced Hollywood red carpets and glossy magazines. It was especially delightful to meet the women who head up the two divisions of the organisation, and to hear them being referred to as ‘business women’ rather than ‘workers’. Watching the teams work soon highlighted the respect these women command and the need to be extremely organised.

Stand back and try your best Not only did Simons respect his team he knew to give them freedom rather than micromanage them, an attitude that seems to be lacking in some industries these days. Simons was also conscious that he would probably ‘hurt peoples feelings despite trying not to’.

Some of the team in a room of floor to ceiling flowers Thanks to Madman

Be aware of your products DNA Sometimes in business a new broom comes in and sweeps away all traces of the past. Simons knew the importance of learning from the past, incorportating the best parts of the products history, and ensuring the critical DNA was not lost through misplaced modernisation.

Be open to inspiration Along the way we see him getting inspired by some amazing paintings and ponder how he could incorporate them into his designs. Rather than simply print the paintings onto the material he proposed something unique. He wanted to incorporate the patterns directly onto the thread, thereby achieving a ‘painted’ effect. A seemingly impossible task was set.

Thanks to Madman

Never give it up With the dresses due downstairs in the studio an hour ago, the last thing the team needed was to have their leader stuck on a plane and the seamstresses, along with the dresses, trapped in an elevator. But as Simons constantly said ‘We don’t give up until the first girl is on the stage’.

Rooms of floor to ceiling real flowers photo Thanks to Madman

Be Brave There comes a time with any creative venture when you have to be brave and show your painting, book or product to others, and no your family and friends don’t count. This was summed up so perfectly with the phrase …

 ‘To step from the warmth of the family to the outside world.’ Raf Simons

Anyone who has ever created something and dared to put it out into the world will know this feeling. Your heart may even tighten alittle at the memory of when you first took that chance.

The night before Thanks to Madman

With a bit of luck Another piece of wisdom was when Simons spoke about ‘respecting the joy of chance’. We all need a bit of luck to go our way sometimes.

Thanks to Madman

Get out of your comfort zone It was fascinating to watch Simons do anything to get out of walking down the catwalk at the end of the show and avoid interviews.

 ‘I won’t do interviews, I find them intimidating with people I don’t know … do I have to do them?’ Raf Simons  ‘I cannot walk the catwalk I will faint … it is like walking through a desert with dry mouth.’ Raf Simons

Thanks to Madman

As I sat watching the credits roll I pondered …

1. Dior and I is more than a movie about fashion, it’s about business, communication (even when you can’t speak the language), branding, and taking a chance.
2. The film gives great insights into the reality behind the beauty of fashion, a must for anyone interested in working in design.
3. The scenes where we see room after room full of flowers are reason enough to see the movie.
4. I defy you to not be moved at the end of the movie.

In cinemas now Luna Palace To watch trailer click here