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Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri Draws on the Heritage Makers of Scotland for the 2025 Cruise Collection
The Italian creative director of the storied French house turns to the Highlands for inspiration
If you want to know anything about Scotland, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dior’s creative director, might be the person to ask. For the 2025 Cruise collection, showcased on the grounds of Drummond Castle in Perthshire on a gray-skied day in early June, she dove deep into the country’s history and crafts, collaborating with local artisans to deliver a series of looks that celebrate tartans and tweeds, soft cashmeres, Fair Isle patterns, knife-pleated kilts, and pom-pommed berets. For the last, it was master milliner Stephen Jones who took the traditional Balmoral bonnet, still made by Robert Mackie in Ayrshire, and gave it a chic Dior twist.
![Looks from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland.](https://galeriemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DIOR-CRUISE-25-FINALE-©-Adrien-Dirand-©-Drummond-Castle_WEB.jpg)
Looks from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland. Photo: Adrien Dirand
In a social media post, Chiuri describes Scotland as a country “where the vastness and beauty of its raw landscapes and nature meet age-old craftsmanship and art.” But she is also following a Dior tradition. The maison’s founder, Christian Dior, named an haute couture ensemble Écosse (a French word for Scotland) in 1947, presented a collection in Glasgow four years later, and in 1955 sent 172 looks down a runway specially constructed in the ballroom of the hotel Gleneagles in Perthshire for a charity event, which was paired with a similar fundraiser at Glasgow’s Central Hotel.
Chiuri’s choice of Drummond Castle was largely informed by its stunning formal terraced gardens. Along its manicured parterres walked models in tartan gowns with deep décolletage, punky leather minidresses with exaggerated 16th-century sleeves, and fine wool blouses overlaid with lace-and-ruffle collars. It was a perfect demonstration of where fusion can lead to in fashion. Boots were sturdy, perfect for striding across a Scottish moor; bags worn crossways bore a faint resemblance to the sporran.
![A look from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland.](https://galeriemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DIOR_CRUISE25_LOOK-89_WEB.jpg)
A look from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland. Photo: Courtesy Dior
![A look from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland.](https://galeriemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DIOR_CRUISE25_LOOK-28_WEB.jpg)
A look from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland. Photo: Courtesy Dior
Dior achieved all this in intimate collaboration with skilled manufacturers that are still based in Scotland. The geometric Sanquhar and multicolored Fair Isle patterns were given French couture flair at Esk Cashmere in Annan. A 1930s embroidered map of Scotland sourced from the Johnstons of Elgin archives caught the eye of Chiuri, who commissioned the heritage
And then, of course, there are the tartans, made of Harris Tweed, which Chiuri commissioned from craftsmen in the Outer Hebrides, their colors derived from the astonishing location: the blue of the sea, the red of the rocks, the mustard yellow of gorse flowers. The process begins by fiber-dyeing fine British Cheviot wool to intense solid colors that hold their own even in complex weaving combinations. An artisanal skill, it’s been passed down among indigenous islanders and remained unchanged for over 100 years.
![A look from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland.](https://galeriemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DIOR_CRUISE25_LOOK-57_WEB.jpg)
A look from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland. Photo: Courtesy Dior
![A look from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland.](https://galeriemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/DIOR_CRUISE25_LOOK-24_WEB.jpg)
A look from the 2025 Cruise collection at Drummond Castle in Perthshire, Scotland. Photo: Courtesy Dior
All this makes tartan a truly time-honored—and timeless—cultural artifact. And more to the point, it simply never goes out of fashion.
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Fall Issue under the headline “Haute Highlands.” Subscribe to the magazine.