Who are Madhvi and Manu Parekh? All you need to know about Dior SS22 show's Indian connect

Dior's show was amazing, and when the models walked down the ramp at the Musée Rodin in Paris on January 24, the backdrop garnered as much interest as the clothes showcased by Italian fashion designer Maria Grazia Chiuri, Creative Director at Dior.

On the walls were tapestries inspired by the works of Delhi-based artist couple Madhvi and Manu Parekh, carefully embroidered at the Chanakya School of Craft in Mumbai under the close watch of its director, Karishma Swali.

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What was Dior's vision?

The fashion show presented the work of Madhvi and Manu Parekh. Their work visibly differs from a formal point of view but has similarities because of their common cultural roots and figurative tradition.

When asked about the same, Dior commented:

“The objective was to underscore, through this couple of artists, the male/female dichotomy, not as opposition, but as complementarity, as perpetual enrichment.”

The set was entirely created by the the Chanakya School of Embroidery, alternating Madhvi's embroidered works with those of Manu, adapted to an environmental dimension, while creating a narrative suspended between myth and realism that unfolds along the set walls like a film.

Chiuri also spoke about this decision. She commented:

"The set created a narrative suspended between myth and realism that unfolds along the set walls like a film."

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Who are Madhavi and Manu Parekh?

While Madhvi’s works are steeped in folk traditions and her growing years in Gujarat, Manu is known for his powerful landscapes and abstracts as well as his contributions as a designer at the Handloom Board.

Madhvi Parekh’s work steeped in folk traditions. Honored with the National Award from Lalit Kala Akademi in 1979, Madhvi’s art is the confluence of modernism and traditional Indian craft patterns.

Manu Parekh’s art constantly invites the viewer to travel through mental landscapes and spiritual abstractions, with a relentless commitment that makes him one of the most singular voices in contemporary Indian art. A laureate of the Indian Government’s prestigious Padma Shri (1992), Manu Parekh is among India’s best-known modern artists and one of India’s most inventive painters.

Their contributions and hard work made Dior's show all the more artistic, colorful, and special. It definitely had a hand in the show's exhilarating success.