Dior Cruise 2025 Campaign by Brigitte Niedermair at Drummond Castle in Scotland AOC Fashion

When Maria Grazia Chiuri showcased her 2025 Dior Cruise Show [IG] in Scotland last June, she held court in the well-manicured and splendid gardens of Drummond Castle.

Chiuri’s resort collection intertwined the history of the house of Dior with the romantic, often dramatic, and war-loving history of Scotland to maximum effect.

Dior’s 2025 cruise collection now comes to life in a new ad campaign lensed by Brigitte Niedermair [IG]. Models include Ali Dansky, Jiali Zhao, Sanija Dalecka and Tanya Churbanova, styled by Elin Svahn. Ryan Chappell provides choreography with Alice Schillaci as director./ Hair by Eugene Souleiman; makeup by Peter Philips

Scotland and the Geopolitics of Fabrics

“Scotland is an important reference in the fashion world,” Chiuri said at a preview the day before the show, “and I wanted to interpret it in a different way. For my generation, it’s so associated with punk, but there is another way to go into it, and that’s through the textiles. In fashion we concentrate so much on shape: But textiles are a big part of our job—what you can do with them, and the changes you can make through them.”

Fashion writers rarely speak of the “geopolitics” of fabrics” but such a contemporary concept is deeply embedded in Dior’s design vision under Chiuri.

Chiuri has admitted countless times that her focus is marrying talented artisans working today with the values and personal fashion preferences of Dior clients who honor craftsmanship. Paying clients of Dior — as opposed to gaggles of naysaying fashion observers who can’t stand Chiuri — look forward to our next global adventure and cultural exposure event in a Dior show.

Tartans and cashmeres, tweeds and Argyles — they all have a story to tell in Chiuri’s 2025 Dior Resort campaign. Mary Stuart [aka Mary Queen of Scots] expressed political commentary through her embroideries, employed now by Chiuri in defiant punk beauty.

Chiuri chose to collaborate with local designers and artisans with tweeds and cashmere from Johnstons of Elgin; knitwear from Esk Cashmere; ceremonial headwear by Robert Mackie; Samantha McCoach of Le Kilt and Harris tweed. Unlike most designers, Chiuri actually traveled to the Outer Hebrides in a freezing, wind-lashed, sleet-storm to meet the weavers who make Harris tweed from their homes.

To make matters worse with fashion’s anti-Chiuri brigade, Dior under her vision embraces the importance of women’s history and accomplishments, past and present. Dior customers adore this fashion menu in their clothes, taking pleasure and positive sentiment from the design director’s efforts.

AOC is splitting the Dior commentary for our front page into two posts, based on an astonishing poll that came out Saturday night before Tuesday’s presidential election.