What was Christian Dior’s sister called, inspiring the name of the Miss Dior perfume?

Christian Dior’s sister was Catherine Dior, who inspired the name of the Miss Dior perfume.

Catherine Dior was born in 1917 and was the youngest child of the Dior family. During the Second World War, she worked with the French Resistance. She was arrested by the Gestapo in 1944, deported to concentration camps, and survived the war.

After the war, Catherine became a rose grower in Provence. Her connection with flowers was especially meaningful to Christian, whose designs and perfumes repeatedly drew on floral imagery. The first Miss Dior fragrance appeared in 1947, the same year as the fashion house’s debut collection.

The perfume name is sometimes assumed to refer to a romantic muse or a generic customer. Its historical association is more personal: Christian used “Miss Dior” as an affectionate name for his sister. Later versions of the fragrance have changed, but the family connection remains part of its origin story.