PARIS — Jonathan Anderson is bringing his love of animation to Dior’s holiday campaign.
The French fashion house has tapped Oscar-nominated French filmmaker Sylvain Chomet to direct a short film inspired by founder Christian Dior’s friendship with film star Marlene Dietrich.
The whimsical story, titled “Christian Dior’s Night in Color,” is narrated by longtime brand ambassador Robert Pattinson and will be unveiled Wednesday across Dior’s online platforms.
It features the voices of Rihanna as The Lucky Star, a house emblem; Louis Garrel as Dior, and Camille Cottin as Dietrich. Rounding out the star-studded cast are Josh O’Connor, LaKeith Stanfield, Greta Lee, Nine d’Urso and Nadia Tereszkiewicz.
Robert Pattinson
Matt Kelly/Courtesy of Dior
Chomet, best known for his features “The Triplets of Belleville” and “The Illusionist,” wove a narrative set the night before Christmas that focuses on the magic of the haute couture workshops in Paris and Dior’s relationship with Hollywood — a theme that also inspired Anderson’s cruise 2027 collection presented in Los Angeles in May.
“The first time I encountered Sylvain Chomet’s work was when I was at university and saw ‘The Triplets of Belleville,’ which I have loved ever since. The film we’ve created together for Dior is all hand-drawn using techniques that go back to the 1940s,” Anderson said in a statement.
“It’s full of Sylvain’s signature charm — which is perfect for this time of year. I hope everyone loves watching it as much as we enjoyed making it,” added the designer.
The film marks Dior’s second animation project this year, after collaborating with French studio Remembers, founded by Ugo Bienvenu and Félix de Givry, on a film recounting the story of its signature fragrance Miss Dior.
Sylvain Chomet with figurines based on “Christian Dior’s Night in Color.”
Thomas Chéné/Courtesy of Dior
During his previous tenure at Loewe, Anderson oversaw a three-part collaboration with Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli that gave rise to dedicated capsule collections.
Dior’s collaboration with Chomet likewise extends to a holiday gifting line, comprising ready-to-wear, accessories and homewares, which has started to arrive in stores. Scenes and characters from the film will also appear in Dior store windows worldwide.
“With animation, I hope to bring a sense of poetry to the house of Dior. I believe it touches everyone, as it taps into something most people have held onto: their inner child,” Chomet said.
In the film, Dior must answer a last-minute call to create a dress for Dietrich, after the director of her latest film decides to shoot in color instead of black-and-white. Surrounded by a swarm of bees, inspired by the couturier’s affectionate term for his seamstresses, he produces a glittering bustier gown inspired by the 1949 Junon dress.
A still from Sylvain Chomet’s animated film “Christian Dior’s Night in Color.”
Courtesy of Dior
While the real Dietrich never donned that specific model, and only wore Dior in black-and-white movies, the plot was inspired by the ultimatum that the film star delivered while negotiating with Warner Bros. to star in the thriller “Stage Fright,” directed by Alfred Hitchcock. “No Dior, no Dietrich!” she proclaimed.
Chomet, who initially wanted to become a fashion designer, connected with Dior through his original sketches, which are on display at the brand’s permanent exhibition space in Paris. The animator drew a parallel with the way his own drawings come to life on screen.
“Working with Dior is extraordinary in itself. I never thought I’d one day be called and asked to collaborate with the house, so it’s fabulous,” he said.
“And it’s all completely new to me; even though I attended a fashion design school for a year, I didn’t really know how a major fashion house operated or how they worked. Although different from the way we do things, we have several points in common, particularly the attention to detail,” Chomet added.
The poster for “Christian Dior’s Night in Color” by Sylvain Chomet.
Courtesy of Dior
He was particularly impressed by the miniature reproductions of dresses and accessories on display at La Galerie Dior, as well as the ballroom-style space where the brand’s most spectacular evening gowns are traditionally exhibited.
“You go from the small models on the ground floor to, suddenly, all those life-size dresses. It feels as though you’re in a theater,” Chomet said.
“We chose the Junon dress, a very beautiful dress that Marlene Dietrich never actually wore. We took that liberty as it’s a Christmas story and it’s also wonderful to think that, in the end, Marlene would wear it in an animated film,” he noted.