Which designer employed Christian Dior at his Paris couture house in 1938?

Robert Piguet employed Christian Dior at his Paris couture house in 1938.

Dior joined Piguet after first making a living as a fashion illustrator. At the time, Dior was still developing his professional identity and had not yet founded his own label. Working in Piguet’s studio gave him experience with the practical demands of designing for a couture clientele.

Dior’s period with Piguet was interrupted by military service in 1939 and by the Second World War. He later joined the couture house of Lucien Lelong, where he worked during the German occupation of France. Those years helped him understand both the creative and organizational sides of Paris couture.

Piguet is sometimes confused with Marcel Boussac, who later financed Dior’s independent house. Piguet was Dior’s employer; Boussac was the industrialist who backed the Dior fashion house when it was founded.