Dior is collaborating with flower artist Makoto Azuma to create floral artworks that capture the world of Maison Christian Dior's signature fragrances. Available at Maison Christian Dior stores nationwide from March 18, 2022. Beautiful visuals evoking the life cycle of flowers, showcasing iconic scents such as Sakura, Gris Dior, Lucky, La Cornoire, and Jasmin des Anges, are presented in video and photographs.

This unprecedented and beautiful collaboration, which embodies the shared passion for flowers and the art of fragrance between Christian Dior and Makoto Azuma, is now upon us, and Azuma's artworks will adorn Maison Christian Dior boutiques. From March to April, the exhibition will focus on "Sakura" artworks, fitting for the spring season. From late April, we will exhibit works featuring "Lucky," the scent of lily of the valley, beloved by Christian Dior as a lucky charm, to celebrate Lily of the Valley Day, May 1st, a day to pray for the happiness of loved ones. Enjoy this special collaboration that changes with the seasons.

Azuma Makoto is an internationally acclaimed flower artist. In his studio in Tokyo and around the world, he pursues the expression of the fleeting beauty that resides in the mysteries of nature. He has created numerous floral artworks full of surprises. His innovative installations, such as flowers trapped inside a giant ice cube and a pine bonsai launched into the atmosphere, provoke questions and send messages to the viewer's heart. For 20 years, he has worked as a flower artist, running the haute couture flower shop "Jardin des Fleurs" in Minami-Aoyama, Tokyo, from Ginza. He is also the inventor of a new field known as "Botanical Sculpture," or "sculptural expression using plants." His "ENCYCLOPEDIA OF FLOWERS" series, featuring the floral works he creates daily as his life's work, is published every two to three years. Through the photographs of his partner, botanical photographer Shunsuke Shiiki, he continues to celebrate the beauty and diversity of nature.

Maison Christian Dior fragrances are filled with the beauty and richness of flowers, and seem to have multiple layers. The basic idea behind this work was to create a work that overlaps the various scenes of flowers, from buds swelling and blossoming to full bloom. I attempted to express the wonderful worldview of Dior fragrances by superimposing it onto flowers, carefully reinterpreting each one.

Azuma Makoto


*1 Oud Rosewood and Purple Wood are not available in Japan.


SCENTS AS FLOWERS
The Scent of Flowers

SAKURA
Sakura


This fragrance evokes the cherry blossoms that paint the Japanese landscape in a pale pink.
Azuma Makoto embodies the moment in spring when the cherry blossoms bloom magnificently.
"The world dyed in pale pink symbolizes the refined yet understated Japanese aesthetic."



GRIS DIOR
Gris Dior



An elegant chypre fragrance that olfactoryly expresses the iconic grey of Maison Dior. Azuma Makoto has expressed the various emotions that it evokes and the fragrance's long-lasting appeal through flowers. "It's like the feeling you get when you suddenly realize that the fragrance becomes more intense and deep as time passes."


LUCKY
Lucky


The delicate and fresh scent of lily of the valley was sewn into the dresses of the superstitious Christian Dior as a good luck charm. Azuma Makoto has expressed a touching, refreshing and joyful melody through the flowers. "By using flowers in tones of white and green of spring and summer, I have expressed an olfactory journey that transcends the changing seasons."


LA COLLE NOIRE
La Colle Noire


This fragrance is dedicated to the roses that bloom in the beautiful and dreamy gardens of Château de La Colle Noire, Christian Dior's beloved final home near Grasse in the south of France. Impressed by their beauty and vitality, Azuma Makoto has expressed this vivid scene through the flowers. "It's as if you've stepped into a dreamy garden, colored in fresh, rich green and covered in roses. The sunlight accentuates the elegant, sparkling world even more."


JASMIN DES ANGES
Jasmine des Anges


The sweet, rich floral melody is reminiscent of the warm sunlight that emanates from Grasse jasmine in late summer as the harvest approaches. Azuma Makoto has enveloped this worldview with warm honey-colored and yellow flowers. "I imagined the sweet scent of jasmine, reminiscent of apricots from late summer to early autumn."


OUD ISPAHAN
Oud Ispahan


A fragrance that evokes the elegant scent of Oriental palaces, with oud and rose. Captivated by the deep scent of damask rose, Azuma Makoto has exquisitely balanced warm woods against a backdrop of rich red and bright fuchsia pink. "A highly dramatic and luxurious setting. The large flowers make a strong statement, symbolizing the luxurious and exquisite oriental fragrance of Oud Ispahan."


OUD ROSEWOOD
Oud Rosewood
(Not available in Japan)


A woody and powerful fragrance with a beautiful melody rich in contrasts. The noble, woody strength is exuded by browns and the rounded flowers in soft cream tones add a precious sparkle. "A fragrance exuding the smoky scent of oud and an air of mystery. Layers of gentle fragrance wrapped in strength that shine with the passage of time."


PURPLE OUD
Purple Oud
(Not available in Japan)


A fragrance of spices, noble woods and a burst of citrus. To celebrate this intense, sparkling and joyous fragrance, Azuma Makoto has chosen vibrant purple as the spectacular centrepiece. "The rare oud is surrounded by vibrant flowers that give off a passionate scent."




WORDS
Azuma Makoto
A passion for flowers that inspires me to create


THE FLOWERS OF LIFE
A life dedicated to flowers

Flowers are not only beautiful, but also mysterious, and I believe they are necessary for the survival of not only humans but also birds, insects, animals and all other living things.
And I believe that any type of flower, no matter what moment you capture, is a precious and beautiful presence.

At the same time, they are an essential part of our survival as humans. Since ancient times, people have had a deep and intimate relationship with flowers. Not only because they are beautiful, but also because people entrust flowers with a variety of inexpressible emotions.
Flowers are a common language for all humanity that transcends time, race, language, religion and gender, and I feel that I am discovering this power through flowers.




IN LOVE WITH FLOWERS
Love for flowers

As I constantly observe and pursue the various expressions of flowers and plants, ideas constantly come to mind about how I want to express these expressions more, or combine them with certain materials. Flowers are always changing their expressions, and they continue to speak to me about their various charms.

Fashion has trends and always reflects the times, but the fact that flower motifs have continued to be used unchanged from the past to the present
Perhaps this means that flowers are one of the few forms of beauty that humans instinctively find beautiful, a universal beauty that transcends time, country, language or religion.




AS PRETTY AS A PICTURE
Creations as beautiful as a painting

Photographer Shunsuke Shiiki has been my best friend since high school, and is a rare person who shares the same cultural background as me.

As he is also a professional florist, he is unique in that he can instantly tell which parts of my works are beautiful and what the key points are, without me having to put it into words.

I believe that when people see my works, they naturally interpret them as reflecting their own inner feelings of the transience and emptiness of life. The act of humans appreciating flowers is a fundamental act of prayer, a desire to forever remember these impermanent things in their hearts, and I believe this is connected to a kind of salvation.


FROM SCENT TO BOUQUET
The scent of a bouquet

Maison Christian Dior's fragrances are filled with the beauty and richness of floral scents, and seem to have many layers.

La Colle Noire was created with the image of the south of France, where roses bloom. Lucky is a fragrance used by the staff at my flower shop, and blends well with the fresh air of fresh flowers. Gris Dior is very mysterious. I also regularly use Purple Oud*2, so I was reminded of the fun of visualizing my favorite scents.

Through this project, I feel like the sensory aspects that cannot be seen or put into words have been further refined. It was an experience that made me feel like I was being invited into a never-before-seen heritage and world that lives on in Dior.
*2 Not available in Japan


MAISON CHRISTIAN DIOR
AROUND THE WORLD
Maison Christian Dior stores




JAPAN
Dior Beauty Ginza
Dior Perfume & Beauty Omotesando Boutique
Dior Beauty Shibuya
Dior Beauty Umeda Hankyu
Nihonbashi Takashimaya
Sendai Fujisaki
Shinsaibashi Daimaru




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