On February 27, at Paris Fashion Week, Dior went back to the 60s. But instead of leaning into its ‘swinging’ tag, creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri had her models wend their way around life-size, cage-like cane forms. Crafted by Mumbai-based artist Shakuntala Kulkarni, the commanding pieces placed at the centre of the runway in Tuileries Garden brought to mind many things: ancient carapaces, imposing samurai yoroi (armour), but also a sense of strength.
While Chiuri’s Fall/Winter 2024-2025 collection focused on the decade of liberated fashion — a transitional era that brought with it the duality of classic fashion and ready-to-wear — Kulkarni’s sculptures offset it perfectly with its symbolised dichotomy of notions of protection and restricted movement. “We were speaking about women’s empowerment and freedom,” says the multimedia artist, 74. “Maria was looking at the new woman and so was I, or rather the possibility of who she could become. Strength and energy, grace and dignity. Maria used fabric and I used cane as fabric to protect.”
