SCAD FASH Lacoste presents Christian Dior: Jardins Rêvés
May 14, 2025
The Savannah College of Art and Design is thrilled to announce the exhibition Christian Dior: Jardins Rêvés at SCAD FASH Lacoste in Provence, France. Christian Dior: Jardins Rêvés is created and organized exclusively by Christian Dior Couture in collaboration with SCAD. Curated by Hélène Starkman, exhibition curator for Christian Dior Couture, and organized by Rafael Brauer Gomes, creative director of SCAD FASH museums, and Ariel Stark, assistant director of fashion exhibitions and operations, this exhibition will present a selection of haute couture garments, sketches, and accessories designed by Christian Dior himself as well as the artistic directors who succeeded him.
“Christian Dior’s vision — born from Normandy’s botanical brilliance — comes into full bloom at SCAD FASH Lacoste this summer. Picturesque Provence provides a perfectly transcendent backdrop for Dior’s historic first exhibition in the South of France, where iconic couture complements Lacoste’s arcadian beauty. From Dior’s groundbreaking New Look to the masterpieces of his illustrious successors, the exhibition celebrates a legacy of extraordinary innovation set against the most resplendent university location in higher education. We invite guests to enter the elegant world of SCAD FASH Lacoste. See you there this summer!” – Paula Wallace, SCAD President and Founder
Christian Dior: Jardins Rêvés traces the founding-couturier’s deep love for flowers and gardens, from his childhood home in Granville to the house he acquired in Montauroux in 1950. For Monsieur Dior, flowers’ distinctive essence represented elegance, beauty, and tranquility and served as his greatest design inspiration. Spanning 1905 to 2025, Jardins Rêvés features almost 30 breathtaking silhouettes and more than 60 accessories and perfumes designed by founder Christian Dior and his successors including Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri, telling the brand’s verdant story, which has infused creativity throughout the House’s legendary history.
Emulating a flower in bloom, Jardins Rêvés gradually reveals thematic floral prints and herbarium embroidery as if viewers have suddenly happened upon a lush secret garden. A specially curated paper installation by Spanish studio Wanda Barcelona transforms the gallery setting into a floristic, immersive experience, with flower designs created especially for SCAD replicating the gardens of Catherine Dior. The exhibition will also feature fashion illustrations by famed Christian Dior collaborator René Gruau, as well as a selection of Dior press sketches presenting a further in-depth study of the designer’s floral inspirations seen throughout his iconic haute couture collections.
Upon reaching the end of the exhibition, there awaits a cabinet of curiosities featuring a selection of more than 60 accessories – including hats and headpieces, shoes, handbags, costume jewelry and fragrances – awaits. Home to expansive lavender fields and myriad floral varieties, the Provençal landscape of SCAD Lacoste and the Luberon Valley serve as a quintessential backdrop to setting for this delightful exploration of one of France’s most iconic couturiers.
“Flowers have always been at the heart of Christian Dior’s creations. Their shapes, ever-changing colors, minute details, all evoking memories of his joyful childhood in the Granville family home. When he became a couturier, it is was in the gardens that he had imagined for his country houses that he sketched his collections. He needed this return to nature, far away from the Paris hustle and bustle, to create the fashion of tomorrow. When he died in 1957, flowers became one of the most prominent inspirations for his successors who each wove their own floral language. Today, it is a real pleasure to be able to exhibit the Dior creations so close to nature, in an environment that the founding-couturier himself would have loved.” - Hélène Starkman, Cultural projects director and exhibitions curator, Christian Dior
Christian Dior: Jardins Rêvés will be the axis for several events in SCAD Lacoste’s dynamic spring 2025 season, including the unveiling of a multisensory permanent installation by DRIFT, the alumni showcase Studio Bee 100% Made by SCAD, Musée SCAD Lacoste, and the SCAD Alumni Atelier Rue des Artistes. To commemorate the opening of the season, SCAD Lacoste will host a series of celebratory events May 6–7 with artists, collaborators, and important guests of the region. Dior representatives will engage with SCAD students from the university’s elite, globally ranked degree programs through exclusive conversations, lectures, and pertinent programming.
“It has been an incredible honor to collaborate with Dior on this exclusive exhibition for SCAD. The curation of this exhibition represents a unique intersection of artistry, craftsmanship, and innovation, showcasing the timeless elegance and bold creativity that define Dior’s legacy. Notably, this exhibition celebrates the work of all the visionary designers who have contributed to the House of Dior, from Christian Dior himself to the present day. It is our hope that this exhibition sparks new ideas, fosters creative exploration, and encourages the next generation of artists to push the boundaries of fashion and design.” – Rafael Gomes, Creative Director of SCAD FASH exhibitions
Christian Dior: Jardins Rêvés is on view through September 28, 2025, at SCAD FASH Lacoste.