The floral notes of Miss Dior, the iconic perfume launched in 1947 alongside Christian Dior’s inaugural collection, take the shape of a soft pink ribbon that unfurls dreamily throughout a traveling exhibition at Shanghai’s Fosun Foundation. In fabric, glass and light effects, this motif inspired by the perfume bottle’s signature bow leads visitors on a sensory journey across two levels and 630 square metres.
Miss Dior: Stories of a Miss, with exhibition design led by OMA/Shohei Shigematsu, charts both the scent’s and the larger brand’s 78-year history. Following the OMA-designed exhibition at Tokyo’s Roppongi Museum (2024), this latest stop sets up an alluring and unapologetically feminine presence in Foster & Partners’ and Thomas Heatherwick’s architectural feat.
In fact, the experience begins at the Fosun Foundation’s fully retracted operable facade, where a gift shop beckons guests in with seductive visuals by René Gruau and Mats Gustafson, Dior’s first and current illustrators. Also unmissable: a massive reproduction of the original perfume bottle, created in honour of Bobby, Christian Dior’s beloved dog.
The Shanghai edition features works by contemporary Chinese artists (its contributors include Ingrid Donat, René Gruau, Mats Gustafson, Ai Jing, Eva Jospin, Chen Ke, Haruka Kojin, Zhou Li, Daishi Luo, Sabine Marcelis, Liu Shiyuan and Liang Yuanwei) and pays homage to Chinese cultural objects. A wall of paper flowers announces the entrance to the exhibition.
From there, a digital loop of ribbon creates circular portals that evoke Chinese moon gates and lead visitors through vitrines filled with some of the brand’s historical highlights. The mirrored far wall multiplies the effect of the ever-unfurling ribbon, which takes on various digital permutations, from solid colours to multi-hued bouquets.
In all, some 200 objects, including archival documents, special-edition products, couture and ready-to-wear garments and works by contemporary artists, are displayed throughout the exhibition. In one space, a Miss Dior couture gown by Raf Simons stands regally in the niche of a dome lined in evocative tapestries embroidered by Eva Jospin, a French artist and longtime friend of the House.
In the “Fields of Flowers” space, ribbons appear like densely petalled flowers blossoming across the ceiling, and five human-sized atomizers in the shape of a flower bud stretch out from their niches to proffer one or more of the floral notes that comprise Miss Dior.
In yet another vignette, called “The Miss Dior Dream,” the design team has composed an undulating topography out of layers of frosted-pink gradient glass. It’s inspired by traditional Chinese ink-wash paintings of mountain scenes yet feels utterly modern and ethereal, an effect complemented by the translucent fabric suspended from above and – of course – more mirrors. Perhaps the trippiest space is “I Belong to Miss Dior,” a floor-to-ceiling shelving grid filled with 1,115 Bobby bottles in three scales.
While it’s only up for a short time, with a run from September 13 to October 18, the OMA/Shohei Shigematsu–designed exhibition demonstrates an exuberant and thoughtful interpretation of an iconic brand, one that feels like an enchanted sojourn rather than your usual high-concept branding exercise.
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