Presenting its 2023 fall men’s collection, Dior held its fashion show at Egypt’s ancient Giza and it’s booming with style, classiness, and extravaganza. Model’s geared up as they get on the ramps with the new collection entitled, ‘Celestial’.
Italian designer Stefano Ricci showcased his most recent collection at the Temple of Hatshepsut in Luxor.
Egypt’s Giza necropolis, just west of the capital Cairo, has in recent years played host to ever-grander events, including pop concerts and contemporary art exhibitions, as the North African country seeks to project a revitalized image to draw in new tourism and business. The Celestial collection and show were inspired by a “fascination with the ancient world” and “how the past shapes the future or an idea of the future from the past”, Jones writes in the show notes.
His interest in ancient Egypt is “about the stars and the sky”, he says, and the collection and show both have the idea of being “guided by the stars”.
Kim Jones, Creative Director of Dior Men, mentioned that Christian Dior tripped over a literal star on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore in Paris in 1946, and he took it as a sign to start his own haute couture house.
Jones unveiled two collections in Cairo this week, the first being the Dior x Denim Tears line at an event at the Grand Egyptian Museum. The museum, adjacent to the pyramids, partially opened for private events this month but has yet to open to the public.
What makes this event very special is the star-studded international celebrities present in this show. South Korean actor, singer, and model Cha Eun Woo arrived at Cairo airport to fans chanting his name. Other international celebrities included Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton, British actor Robert Pattinson, Scottish actor Thomas Doherty, South Korean rapper and Dior Global Ambassador Oh Se-hun, Spanish actor Aron Piper, Colombian singer Manuel Turizo and American model Amber Valletta. Stars from the region included Tunisian actor and filmmaker Dhafer L’Abidine, Egyptian actor Amr Youssef, and Egyptian-Canadian Aladdin actor Mena Massoud.
The 25-minute fashion show kicked off shortly after 6pm in darkness and silence before the pyramids and runway lit up. The models paraded the collection, walking in the distance like shadows.