Who founded the fashion house Dior?

Christian Dior founded the fashion house Dior.

Dior established his namesake couture house in Paris in 1946 with financial backing from textile magnate Marcel Boussac. The house opened at 30 Avenue Montaigne, an address that became closely associated with Dior's identity and Parisian haute couture. Boussac supplied the investment and business infrastructure, but Dior was the designer whose name, creative direction and personal vision defined the new label.

Dior's first collection appeared on 12 February 1947. Its rounded shoulders, tightly drawn waist and full skirts were soon dubbed the “New Look” by Harper's Bazaar editor Carmel Snow. The collection helped restore Paris's position as the world's fashion capital after World War II and made Dior one of the most influential designers of the postwar era.

A common mix-up is confusing Dior's founder with later creative directors. Yves Saint Laurent succeeded Dior after Dior's death in 1957, while Pierre Cardin worked in Dior's atelier early in the house's history. Neither founded the label. The modern Dior business is part of a much larger luxury group, but its origin remains the couture house created by Christian Dior in 1946.