When Dior was forced to make dresses for the Third Reich

The Apple TV+ series 'The New Look' portrays a time of chaos in France, when the country was taken over by the N a z I s. At the time, many fashion designers, including Christian Dior (Ben Mendelsohn) and Coco Chanel (Juliette Binoche), were forced to "conform" to the rules, putting their careers on the line in order to survive.

(Photo: Apple TV+)

In 'The New Look', the viewer has the opportunity to follow and learn about Christian Dior's career during the Second World War and how this influenced his creative process within fashion.

(Photo: Apple TV+)

In an interview with the newspaper O Globo, Todd A. Kessler, creator of the series, said that the idea came about in 1997, when Maison Dior celebrated its 50th anniversary. "I realized that while I knew the name Dior, I didn’t know anything about the person and the context," he said, according to Indie Wire.

(Photo: Apple TV+)

In the same interview, he spoke about the characters: "I researched the show for seven years and read everything that I could possibly find on Chanel, and Juliette did a lot of her own research."

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Between 1940 and 1944, these artists were together in Paris and were forced to make difficult choices. Christian Dior, for his part, chose to work in the atelier of Lucien Lelong, who sold many dresses to the wives of officers of the Third Reich.

(Photo: Apple TV+)

Faced with this situation, Dior tried to resist the pressure, but circumstances didn't allow it. He also had a duty to rescue his sister, who was being held in a concentration camp.

(Photo: Apple TV+)

Christian Dior was forced to make a dress for the wife of a particular n a z i  .

(Photo: Apple TV+)

In the plot of the series, we can see both sides of the coin: those who had the opportunity to rise, like Christian Dior, and those whose careers collapsed, like Coco Chanel.

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In the 1940s, Coco Chanel was considered the most famous fashion designer in France. Her career began to crumble when she made some personal and professional deals with Hitler's forces.

(Photo: Apple TV+)

Todd A. Kessler spoke about the approach to Chanel's life: "She’s trying to survive and [then] her relationship with men and with power and what it means to be functioning in that world. So, it wasn’t that it was necessarily difficult to empathize with Chanel but to be able to hold two aspects of her."

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"It was trying to get underneath that, to portray Chanel as a living, breathing person. Even though she creates clothes that have labels, to not have us put a label on her," Todd A. Kessler told Indie Wire.

(Photo: Apple TV+)

The series explores the great personalities of fashion, as well as their personal stories, transcending what is seen on the catwalk.

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At the beginning of 2024, another contemporary designer of Chanel and Dior also had his life told in a series: 'Cristóbal Balenciaga'. The production tells the story of this Spanish genius, considered the architect of fashion, who fled his country's civil war to make his way in Paris.

(Photo: Publicity / Star+)

As well as fleeing Franco's dictatorship, Balenciaga was trying to make a success of his work. However, his first collections didn't arouse much interest in Parisian fashion, which made him think about giving up.

(Photo: Publicity / Star+)

Due to the explosive growth of his brand, some say that Balenciaga collaborated with the Germans. Like Dior and Chanel, the sense of survival was too strong.

(Photo: Disclosure / Star+)

The brand continues to be a significant influence on contemporary fashion, maintaining a distinctive style and a reputation for sophistication and quality.

(Photo: Disclosure / Star+)

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