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Dior and Yves Saint Laurent have a historic relationship. In addition to Yves have worked alongside Christian and being his replacement, the two maisons are icons of French fashion. The similarities definitely exist, but do the brands compete for the same audience?
From the archetypical point of view, both are the Lover, which is very common in fashion brands as the motivation of the archetype is to seduce and have pleasant relationships. Nevertheless, the identities have been working on different levels, to reveal their essence. Whilst the ideal Dior woman is a romantic and sophisticated lady, seeking a great love story, the Yves Saint Laurent one is bolder and have no shame of sexual adventures. In common, both retain the desire for luxury and elegance.
The flowers and the silhouette of the second half of the nineteenth century, which evidenced feminine curves, were the starting point of Christian Dior and guided the brand for decades. Even during the crazier years of John Galliano, Dior still kept the brand image classic and always very feminine. With Raf Simons (2012-2015), femininity was maintained, but with a more minimalist and futuristic approach. Let’s see how Maria Grazia Chiuri will bring.
In Yves Saint Laurent, the designer has benefited from social changes that took place from the 1960s. Women’s desire for freedom and equality were a feast for Yves, no wonder he made history with the female tuxedo, the saharienne and velvet knickers. Add a good dose of hedonism and the brand identity gained momentum. During his short time at the maison, Tom Ford delved deep into sexuality, which ended up bothering Saint Laurent because for him this woman has always been subtly sensual. Stefano Pilati left her more discreet, but decreased her seduction power. Hedi Slimane has quite changed the essence, leaving her with a girl’s face and a pure rock’n’roll attitude. Some say he captured perfectly what Yves wanted to communicate in his early career, others that he simply turned the brand into something arbitrary, with only a few references to the original style. Controversy aside, sales grew absurdly, which shows the identification of the public with the new approach. Now, let’s wait for Anthony Vaccarello’s ideas about YSL.
Summing up, when brands are well aware of their identities and have strong values, finding their market share is not difficult. Despite the similarities and comparisons, Dior and Saint Laurent talk to different audiences. Which one do you identify with?