Dior Fall 2025 Kyoto “A Triumph of Absence”. Story by Eleonora de Gray, Editor-in-Chief of RUNWAY MAGAZINE. Photo / Video Courtesy: Dior.

Yesterday, beneath the glowing paper lanterns of Kyoto and framed by the refined geometry of Japanese architecture, Dior unveiled its Fall 2025 collection—a show that shimmered with tradition, dipped in theatrics, and sidestepped originality in some key moments. Hosted in Japan’s ancient cultural capital, this spectacle was poised to honor craftsmanship, cultural intersection, and sartorial architecture. And, in many ways, it did—thanks largely to the School of National Arts, not necessarily to Maria Grazia Chiuri.

Chiuri returned briefly to the safety of her signature black—a few somber dresses with new Dior’s usual austere grace. But the true fireworks of the show were sparked by the breathtaking kimonos in vivid blue, red, and white—a palette that whispered of Olympic regalia and roared of excellence. These pieces weren’t mere nods to Japanese tradition; they were artistic collaborations with Japan’s School of National Arts, who masterfully took the reins on this part of the collection. Spectacular and sincere, their kimono-inspired silhouettes turned the runway into a living scroll of cultural tribute.

The show was framed by a philosophical treatise Chiuri seems fond of: that the garment is architecture, and the body its living space. “The relationship between body and garment,” we’re told, “is woven, differing according to custom.” It’s a compelling sentiment, especially when one considers that much of the collection’s soul—its living space—was, quite frankly, outsourced.

That’s not to say Chiuri contributed nothing. She traced a historic arc back to Monsieur Dior’s 1957 DiorpaletotDiorcoat, originally meant to embrace the kimono’s form, and revisited the era when Marc Bohan showcased Dior in Tokyo in 1971. In this intercontinental remix, she folded historical silhouettes into generous coats and jackets, in textiles whispering of silk and ink, of Japanese gardens painted in thread. Wide-leg trousers and flowing skirts rustled like temple bells in autumn wind, and gold embroidery crept across the hems like creeping ivy. All beautiful, yes. But all rather expected from a designer who leans heavily into decorative safety.

Chiuri also found inspiration in the exhibition Love Fashion: In Search of Myself, co-organized by the Kyoto Costume Institute and The National Museum of Modern Art. This cross-cultural exploration became a kind of intellectual permission slip to blur references, emotions, and silhouettes. And while the exhibition invited genuine reflection on identity and desire, Chiuri’s interpretation leaned more toward the poetic than the innovative.

The standout irony? While Chiuri continues to speak of “material soul” and “emotional architecture,” it was the real hands-on creators in Kyoto who carried the emotional weight and cultural complexity of this collection. Their artistry wasn’t just poetic—it was precise, embodied, and powerful.

In the end, Dior Fall 2025 is a collection caught between reverence and repetition. It claims to oscillate between cultures, but it’s the Japanese collaborators who gave it rhythm. It wants to link fashion to architecture, but it’s the kimono—an enduring masterpiece of cultural engineering—that built the strongest foundation.

Credit where credit is due: this show’s brilliance belonged to Kyoto.

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