Maria Grazia Chirui: The value of fashion is underestimated

Maria Grazia Chirui thinks that the value of fashion is “underestimated.”

The 58-year-old fashionista – who currently serves as director of beauty brand Dior – designed the costumes for Italian period film ‘Nuit Romaine’ and explained that fashion can reflect an “evolution of humanity.”

She said: “Clothes reflect a historical period and the evolution of humanity and our bodies. The value of fashion and clothes is underestimated. Clothes say a lot about us and they have deep meanings. As do colors: think about red and how it conveys power. I am interested not only in fashion, but in the history of fashion and the evolution of clothes. As a feminist, I believe the lives of women have been conditioned through clothes, when they couldn’t walk or leave the home because they were so cumbersome.”

Maria – who worked at Fendi and then spent seventeen years at Valentino before being named creative director at Dior – then went on to claim that while there are “many women” working in her profession, it can be difficult for them to progress to the top of their field and that women must “always push” to have a voice.

She told WWD: “You can never lower your guard and must always push to have a voice and fight for your rights. There are many women working in fashion, but it’s very complex to get to the top as it is in other sectors. We must insist and make it easier for the new generations to have more access to the pivotal spots.”