Prefer not to think about the many women she converted to the T-shirt tucked into a long skirt. No more than the obstacles of its course. "Whatever they were, I visibly overcame them. "The spin pleases. In September 2016, for her first fashion show as artistic director of Dior's women's collections, she launched a feminist pavement in the luxury industry by putting on a T-shirt the writer Chimamanda's "We should all be feminists" Ngozi Adichie. Today she convenes the feminist book Womens Running with Wolves to enjoin women to believe in their instincts. From his ironic spirit was born the logo J'ADIOR, contraction of the "J'adore Dior" by Galliano, acclaimed by the millennials and emblem of his advent. This tarot lover likes the signs. Around his neck, a golden S, that of Superman.

Why did you choose to express yourself by fashion?

I decided at 12 years. My mother wanted to dress like a doll. With mats and knots. Do not feel the soul, I went to the flea to buy me jeans and a military jacket. It did not like my mother. But it is my body, it is necessary to be able to recognize oneself in the mirror. Same thing for my hair, everyone thinks me chestnut, but I was born blonde. I dyed a chestnut for years because that's how I saw myself.

Your mother was a seamstress, what vision of femininity did she transmit to you?

Very independent, like my grandmother. Young woman, they pushed me to autonomy, what I do with my children Rachele and Nicola. At work, immediately!

You mention Women who run with wolves, from the psychoanalyst Clarissa Pinkola Estés, as a reference for your first Dior collection and the 2018 cruise. This book enjoins women to reconnect with their instincts. What influence has it had on you?

I thought a lot about this book before leaving my family comfort zone in Rome to start a new adventure at Dior in Paris. I have no doubt today, but at one time I was kneaded. The cultural atmosphere of a society can make you lose your instinct. This book has made me more savage (he develops the archetype of the Wild Woman, strong of his natural intuition, ed.). When I decided to change my life by coming to Paris, I went back to following my instinct. I am willing to take risks.

What feminist teaching do you want to convey from this reading?

Women must retain and follow their instincts. When we are young, society sums us up to conform to feminine stereotypes. Do not listen to them. Feel what you think is good for you.

Artist Georgia O'Keeffe, another reference in the 2018 cruise, used clothing to build her character, her authority. What stylistic definition tools do you draw for Dior?

Jackets and coats are important. I like to mix day clothes and evening clothes. A jacket built, sometimes heavy, with an aerial skirt. A new balance for a singular attitude. These contrasts give a new meaning to the Dior look.

What do you want to reprogram in our perception of femininity?

I do not have a program, women have to define themselves. And they do not accept that the others define them. I believe in the younger generation, she is more intelligent. My daughter and her friends are cooler than me at 20 years old. I was an idiot, a baby. They have things to say about everything, we were not so knowledgeable.

What surprises you most in millennials?

Their use of Instagram. If I tell my daughter "it's dangerous," she retorts that she controls everything she shows. They know what they are doing, know this medium, its language. It is much more dangerous for the people of my generation. Some of them should moreover preserve their privacy, they do not have the codes.

You combine your 21-year-old daughter Rachele with your creative process. Why ?

She gives me her opinion without seeking to please me, it is necessary. And it helps me to dialogue with the millennials to take this mark to the future. Her opinions do not deflect my vision, I have a hard head, but it is important for me to know what she sees in what I do.

What subjects did you find useful?

In the past, I have made references to other cultures in my work. But Rachele is obsessed with cultural appropriation. It drives me to never do anything that could be considered as such. I understand, and will not do it, otherwise she will kill me. Their generation sees things differently. Young, I had kimonos, African pieces, Peruvian, by cultural appreciation, not by cultural appropriation. When I travel, I buy coins, associates them. She says, "You can do it if you're not the designer of Dior, if you put a kimono on a parade, it's cultural appropriation. "

"My daughter gives me her opinion without trying to please me. It's important for me to know what she sees in what I do. "

Did she convince you?

Not really, but I read a lot on the issue. We will probably have to open a debate on this subject in fashion, for the future. We live in a multicultural society. Today, everyone leaves their country to live elsewhere, bringing other ways of life. What will identity mean in the future?

It is said that you prefer to collaborate with women, is it to give more visibility to women?

To be a global brand, talk to all women, increase your culture of diverse visions. I am Italian, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is Nigerian, Nan Goldin is American, experience and place of birth influence our eyes. I need the perspective of female artists on women. I love the idea of ​​a women's factory.

Like Monsieur Dior, you like the tarot, present of your pockets to a coat of haute couture fall-winter 2017-2018. What do they represent for you?

Dream and lightness. Everyone loves magic, right? I do not get shots every day, but I'm fascinated by the symbols. My favorite card is Death. For it signifies the resurrection. You think you're dying and you're reviving, that's optimistic.

First woman at the head of Dior, you collaborated seven years with Pierpaolo Piccioli at Valentino. Do you think that men and women express their creativity differently?

There are creative people, no matter the gender. The difference is that a man has an idealized vision of woman, women have a realistic approach, they do not project an imaginary woman.

Your collections for Dior are less ostensibly romantic than what you were doing for Valentino, why?

My friend Alber Elbaz said to me: "At the first parade, I thought Maria Grazia went to war. " Second collection of ready-to-wear: " Maria Grazia continues to go to war. " For the pre-Fall, he said: " Maria Grazia decided to start dreaming again. "I found it very funny. It makes me think, but that's not what I feel. My collections are strong and fragile, because women are so. Fragility is romantic. Valentino was otherwise romantic. I am often told, "You are a strong woman. "I see myself fragile. I express what I believe in, why should it make me a strong woman?

Article published in MC n ° 783, dated November 2017