Robert Piguet mentored Christian Dior while Dior worked as an assistant in the 1930s.
After beginning his career as a fashion illustrator, Dior joined Robert Piguet’s couture house in Paris. The experience gave him practical knowledge of garment construction, collection development, and the commercial rhythm of haute couture.
Dior later worked for Lucien Lelong during the German occupation of France, alongside Pierre Balmain. That later partnership is distinct from his earlier period with Piguet, and the two stages are often mixed together in short biographies.
Piguet’s house helped Dior develop as a professional designer, but Dior’s most influential independent breakthrough came after he founded his own label. His 1947 collection established the silhouette that became known as the New Look.