Draped in timeless elegance
French brand opens House of Dior Beijing flagship in Sanlitun, merging fine dining, art, fashion and fragrance for those seeking unprecedented lifestyle experiences
Appointed CEO of Dior in February 2023, the company's first female CEO, there are perhaps few names more dazzling in the luxury market than Delphine Arnault. Dior is one of the earliest and most cherished acquisitions of Delphine's father, Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH (Louis Vuitton, Moet, and Hennessy). Delphine Arnault is also the longest-serving member among her siblings at LVMH.
Delphine Arnault began her career outside the family empire. She worked at McKinsey & Company, gaining strategic consulting experience. She later joined John Galliano to gain fashion house experience independent of LVMH.She joined LVMH in 2000 and served as deputy managing director for Christian Dior Couture from 2001 to 2013. Before being appointed CEO of Dior, she served as executive vice-president of Louis Vuitton, overseeing product strategy, creation and design, art direction and designer relations, shaping LV's modern creative era and helping to strengthen it as one of the world's most valuable luxury brands.
Since her first visit to Beijing in 2008 for Christian Dior and Chinese Artists exhibition at UCCA, she has been a regular visitor to China.
"Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hangzhou (Zhejiang province), Chengdu (Sichuan province), and Shenzhen (Guangdong province) — each city has its own unique spirit and rhythm — from Beijing's deep cultural heritage and Shanghai's dynamic modern energy to Chengdu's creative vitality," she says.
The new House of Dior Beijing is a work of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Christian de Portzamparc, a long-time Dior collaborator who is internationally acclaimed for his spectacular designs, which include the Dior flagships in Seoul, opened in 2015, and Geneva, opened in 2024. He also designed other notable projects in China, such as the Opera Hall of the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, the Suzhou Bay Grand Theater, and the China National Convention Center Phase II.
The House of Dior Beijing facade is embellished with ogival forms in the shape of petals with clean-cut lines, evoking the movement of the toiles Christian Dior was famous for in his haute couture dresses. The edifice is punctuated with golden artisanal glass tiles, a powerful color traditionally reserved for Chinese royalty in the ancient times.
