Dior
Full Name: Christian Dior SE
Founder: Christian Dior
Established Date: December 16, 1946
Parent Company: LVMH
Chairman: Bernard Arnault, who also heads LVMH, the world's largest luxury group. Dior itself holds 42.36% shares of and 59.01% voting rights within LVMH. Arnault held an additional 5.28% of shares and 4.65% of votes directly.
Creative Director: Maria Grazia Chiuri
Best Known for: Extravagance in women’s wear in a post-war time when women had been used to shorter and boxier skirts, which had their roots in the war-time rationing of fabric.
About: Christian Dior, more commonly known as Dior, is a luxury goods company famed for revolutionizing the women’s fashion industry. The brand has been cited as the catalyst for Paris’ revival as the fashion capital of the world after it fell from its prominent position after WWII.
Chanel
Full Name: Chanel
Founder: Coco Chanel
Established Date: 1910
Parent Company: Chanel Limited. Chanel has been privately owned by the Wertheimer family for almost a century.
Chairman: Alain Wertheimer
Creative Director: Virginie Viard
Best Known for: Timeless designs, trademark suits and little black dresses.
About: Chanel transformed the women’s fashion industry by bringing elegance and simple design to over-designed, opulent fashion. The label has continued to break down barriers in fashion while still maintaining the elegance on which it was built.
YSL (Saint Laurent)
Full Name: Yves Saint Laurent
Founders: Yves Saint Laurent & Pierre Bergé
Established Date: 1961
Parent Company: Kering
CEO: Francesca Bellettini
Creative Director: Anthony Vaccarello
Best Known for: Brought art to fashion. Popularization of women's trousers for all occasions. Brought diversity on the runaway.
About: One word to describe Saint Laurent would be “bold”. In many ways, Saint Laurent was ahead of his times. In an era when it was unthinkable for women to wear men’s suits, he introduced the Le Smoking suit. In keeping with the new wave of feminism in the 60s, Yves Saint Laurent introduced tops constructed using see-through fabric that revealed women’s breasts. It was a risque move, but this collection spoke highly of how the designer put the woman first in his designs.
Celine
Full Name: Celine (formerly spelled Céline, and stylized in all caps)
Founder: Céline Vipiana
Established Date: 1945
Parent Company: LVMH
CEO: Séverine Merle
Creative Director: Hedi Slimane
Best Known for: Celine is now known for its simplicity that involves heritage, elegance and a hint of androgyny. Thanks to its creative director Phoebe Philo, the once failing brand is now an icon for minimalism and grown up dressing.
About: Originally started as children’s shoe business, the French company expanded during the sixties into adult footwear, accessories and a women’s ready-to-wear sports collection. With the expansion, Celine opened distribution in Japan, making them the first luxury brands to do so.
