Blurring the Line Between Fine Art and Fashion: Dior Collaborates With Mickalene Thomas

By Sarah Knight

Last week, on 23rd January 2023, the runway of Dior’s S/S 2023 haute couture collection in the grounds of the Musée Rodin was adorned with the work of New York based visual artist Mickalene Thomas. Marcia Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director of Dior, initiated this collaboration with the Thomas – the third to date in their special ‘creative dialogue’ - and the most recent of Chiuri’s projects aimed at championing female contemporary artists and celebrating those who have been historically underappreciated. This season’s show consisted of a collection inspired by Josephine Baker (1906-1975), the American-born French performer, and her 1920s Parisian style, accompanied by a set with a very specific significance; arranged across the walls behind the runway were thirteen digital portraits that Thomas had made – portraits of thirteen women she considers ‘Black female role models that broke racial barriers by going against the grain and creating a new platform for many others’. Thomas’ respect for these women and their sacrifices, which contributed to her own ability to create and exhibit today, is manifested here in what she calls an ‘immersive experience and union of creativity’, illustrating and reinforcing the links between these women, their work and the couture being shown. 

Dior S/S 2023 Haute Couture Collection with set by Mickalene Thomas. Credit: Adrien Dirard, courtesy of Dior 

Instances of art and fashion coming together, in a hybrid form of expression, have been taking place for decades. Designers have sometimes used works of fine art as inspiration – one famous example being Yves Saint Laurent’s ‘Mondrian Dress’ from the F/W 1965 collection – while others have taken inspiration from art history for their photoshoots, and some have designed collaboratively with artists - like Louis Vuitton did with Takashi Murakami on their bag collection from the early 2000s.  

This type of relationship between art forms has, at times, been uneasy; the sometimes alarmingly quick turnover of temporary seasonal trends and relentless commercialisation inherent to the fashion industry have engendered fears of a disservice being done by it to the fine art involved. Contemporary French artist Christophe Chemin has pointed out that artists and designers do not need one another and, therefore, for a successful collaboration, a ‘real exchange’ between them is required. While this may be true, this is not about necessity - rather the possibility of innovative creation through collaboration. Just as Harper’s Bazaar described this show as a ‘platform for creative conversations with artists’, the fashion world presents opportunities for creatives, supplying new inspiration and often fresh audiences. What we are seeing is a development in the worlds of art and fashion more broadly, through which any definitive boundaries are being brought into question.  

Dior S/S 2023 show set, featuring artworks by Mickalene Thomas (Image credit: Photography by Adrien Dirand, courtesy of Dior)

The art world is in a pivotal position of change, with traditional exhibition spaces and institutions being more frequently interrogated and increasing interest in the possibilities of the non-traditional exhibition space being shown with this. These show sets are artistic installations in themselves, playing with the borders of participatory art. This begs the question: as the worlds of art and fashion continue to shift, could the runway become the platform for artistic experimentation and expression? 

Bibliography 

Cohn, Alison S. ‘Dior Collaborates with Artist Mickalene Thomas,’ Harpers Bazaar. 24 January 2023. https://www.harpersbazaar.com/fashion/fashion-week/a42634749/mickalene-thomas-dior-couture-spring-2023/  

Dior, ‘Dialogue of the Arts.’ https://www.dior.com/en_gb/fashion/womens-fashion/haute-couture-shows/folder-defile-haute-couture-printemps-ete-2023/dialogue-of-the-arts  

 Jiang, Edwin. ‘Why do artists collaborate with fashion designers?’, 5 October 2017. https://www.vogue.fr/fashion-culture/fashion-exhibitions/story/en-relation-artistes-mode-createurs-art-collaborations/141  

Moss, Jack. ‘Artist Mickalene Thomas creates the set for Dior’s Josephine Baker-inspired couture show,’ Wallpaper. 24 January 2023. https://www.wallpaper.com/fashion-beauty/mickalene-thomas-dior-couture-show-set