Philippe Starck x Maison Dior’s Miss Dior chairs a spectacle during the Milan Design Week

“Some have searched all their lives for the little black dress, I have always dreamed of the perfect little chair,” says visionary French designer Philippe Starck. For the Milan Design Week, Dior Maison commissioned Starck, who is also the founder of Paris-based studio, STARCK NETWORK, in a unique intervention – the conception of the Miss Dior Chair. “This icon of perfection clearly exists in our collective unconscious, in the form of the Louis XVI Medallion chair and its magic oval, which is one of the symbols of the House of Dior. Everything has always brought me back to this chair. When Dior asked me to work on this model, I had a feeling of squaring the circle, of completing a cycle. For the first time, I could work on the origin of this iconic symbol, the origin of the myth,” expresses Starck on his creative inspiration for the Miss Dior chair.

The vision works well for both the parties when Dior achieves a brand new rendition of its iconic and emblematic Medallion chair from the 1940s while Philippe, as a designer obsessed with designing the perfect chair, finally creates one. For the previous design week presentation, the luxury fashion house commissioned more than a dozen designers including India Mahdavi, Pierre Yovanovitch and Japanese Studio Nendo’s Oki Sato, to re-imagine the medallion chair design. Salone’s 2022 edition is adorned with an avant-garde, theatric unveiling of Miss Dior by the brand as the new-age, ultra-modern and sustainable version of the French Louis XVI Medallion chair.

Trailing down the memory lane, Dior launched the first edition of the Medallion chair in 1947 as a commemorative piece of French art de Vivre. Originally characterised by the classic oval back, a near-feminine outlook, elegantly draped in hand-painted toile de Jouy and structured in seamless Vosgos beechwood, the Medallion chair gets stripped down to the bone for Philippe Starck’s edition.

Starck, is often known for his poetic and expressive design practice converges with the spirited virtue of Dior Maison to creatively explore the realms of contemporary design with elegant craftsmanship. Philippe Starck’s Miss Dior is characterised by clean lines, a unique curvilinear shape, a bold aura and an extremely pure silhouette. “With the Miss Dior chair, collective memory takes centre stage. We all drew this historical icon with our memory; I explored mine. The conscious and unconscious signs emitted by the House of Dior are part of my own mental heritage: this collaboration was extremely natural for me,” shares Starck. The chair, reimagined in different metallic finishes is available not just with the original oval back version with a square seat and arms, but also in whimsical new forms with just one and even no arms. The collaborative duo righteously utilise the lightness of aluminium as a material when they stir the very heart of the legendary chair and gives it a feminine, satinated touch.

Just as the house of Dior would reveal any of its fashion collectives, dramatically and extravagantly, they unveil Miss Dior as a work of art. They launch Miss Dior’s black chromium, pink copper and gold versions in a dramatic presentation at Palazzo Citterio in Milan in an entrancing and near-mysterious scenographic exhibition with an evocative soundtrack by Stephan Crasneanscki inspired by the imagined life of Miss Dior – originally named for the collectable perfumes by Christian Dior.

Miss Dior chairs will be a part of the ‘Dior by Starck’ exhibition to be held at Palazzo Clerici from 7th June 2022 till 12th June 2022 post which, the different versions of the chair will be available for purchase across global Dior boutiques.

STIR takes you on a Milanese sojourn! Experience Salone del Mobile and all the design districts - 5vie, Brera, Fuorisalone, Isola, Zona Tortona, and Durini - with us. STIR’s coverage of Milan Design Week 2022, Meanwhile in Milan showcases the best exhibits, moods, studios, events, and folks to look out for. We are also excited to announce our very own STIR press booth at Salone del Mobile - Hall 5/7 S.14, Fiera Milano RHO.