Dior to stage cruise show in Athens

Dior will be staging its cruise collection designed by creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri on June 17 at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece. The site is famous for hosting the opening and closing ceremonies for the modern Olympics in 1896.

The Panathenaic Stadium was formerly a race course built in 330 B.C. Greco-Roman senator Herodes Atticus had it rebuilt as a 50,000-seat stadium in 144 A.D. In the 19th century the venue was excavated. In 2004, it was once again used as an Olympic venue.

Dior has been granted permission by Greek authorities to stage photo shoots at various famed Greek sites including the Acropolis, the Odeon of Herodes Atticus, the Agora of Athens, the temple of Poseidon, and the temple of Zeus as reported by AFP. As Europe begins its slow emergence from the COVID-19 pandemic, physical runway shows are becoming the gold standard for collection debuts again. Coach is planning an in-person show in Shanghai on June 3 and Saint Laurent is planning on staging a show in Venice in July.