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Born in Granville, Northern France.
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When he was a young boy, around the age of 5, Dior and his family moved to Paris where he spent his youth.
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Although he had always expressed a love of art and wanted to go into the bussiness of architecture, he was pressued by his father into Political science at École des Sciences Politiques.
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Although he had graduated with a diploma for political science, Dior had opened up a small art gallery with money his father had lent him - under the condition that he would not put the family name above the door. Some people incorperated in this art gallery included: Georges Braque, Pablo Picasso, Jean Cocteau and Max Jacob.
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He was forced to close his gallery this year because of a few deaths in his family, including his older brother and mother. This was also the time of the financial collapse of his fathers company.
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Christian began to make income by selling his fashion sketches.
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Following the selling of his sketches he landed a job illustrating the magazine Figaro Illustré.
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Several years after working for the magazine, Dior was hired as a design assistant by Paris couturier Robert Piguet.
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During world war two Dior left his job to serve as an officer for the french army.
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After France's surrender to Germany in 1940, Dior returned to Paris, and was hired by couturier Lucien Lelong. Throughout the remaining years of the war, Lelong's design house would consistently dress the women of both Nazis and French collaborators.
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He broke away from Lelong's design house to create his own in 1946. He was backed up by textile manufacturer Marcel Boussac.
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Hid first collection followed one year after the opening of Dior's design house. He was very successful because of a very new look that included: rounded shoulders, full skirts and a cinched waist.
"Dior created an opulent clothing style which contrasted the severe living conditions of post war France." -
With his partner Jaques Rouet, Dior was the pioneer for license agreements in the fashion business. Already in 1948, he decided to arrange licensed production of furs, socks, ties, perfumes, and clothing in regionally seperate production centers. Thus spreading the brand name quickly around the globe.
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Dior became very popular after the war. He created an opulent clothing style which contrasted the severe living conditions. He helped re establish Paris as the capital of fashion; he did this was the many different themes like classic suits, ballerina length skirts, the H line in 1954, and A and Y lines in 1955.
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In 1953, he hired Yves Saint Laurent as an assistant. Who later becomes head designer following dior's death.
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on October 23, 1957, he suffered what was his third heart attack and died, at the age of 52 while ona trip to Montecatin, Italy.
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When Saint Laurent was called for military duty in 1960 Marc Bohan took over, remaining until 1989.
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Gianfranco Ferre became designer in 1989.
