How UBS broke into fashion, wearing Dior

For the first time, the work of all seven of Dior’s creative directors — from Christian Dior himself to Maria Grazia Chiuri — sits under one roof. Styled by Carine Roitfeld and photographed by Brigitte Niedermair, the photography and fashion exhibition highlights eight decades of Dior’s legacy. The brainpower behind the exhibition, which takes place from tomorrow through Sunday in New York City, is UBS House of Craft, a global initiative from investment bank UBS that celebrates excellence in craft across disciplines, from horology to couture. In a bygone market, a bank might have seemed an unlikely match for Dior. But in 2025, when Hermès Birkins and PopMart Labubus rival gold as investments, brand marketing must acknowledge — and embrace — the cross-pollination of industries. In Jing Daily’s C-Suite Visionaries series, UBS CMO John McDonald shares the strategy behind the recent exhibition, insights from a 25-year career spanning Ogilvy and Mastercard, and outlines the finance-to-fashion pipeline. As McDonald tells Jing Daily, craft belongs in banking. John McDonald sits down with Jing Daily to discuss Dior. Dior gives Jing Daily exclusive access to its inside archive. Throughout the 1950s and ’60s, Dior’s ethos of meticulous hand-work continued under successive creative directors. Yves Saint Laurent’s youthful “Trapeze” line (1958) loosened the waist without sacrificing construction; Marc Bohan’s understated elegance (1960-89) refined the maison’s codes for a new jet-set clientele; and Gianfranco Ferré’s architectural flourishes (1989-96) reminded audiences that even big silhouettes demand exacting inner structures. Parallel to the couture lines, Dior strategically expanded into fragrance, leather goods, and accessories, each produced with the same atelier-level standards—reinforcing the idea that craft, not category, defined the brand. 1. The birth of Christian Dior The modern era saw a series of visionary appointments that pushed traditional craftsmanship into the realm of spectacle. John Galliano (1997-2011) layered historical references with virtuoso cutting; Raf Simons (2012-16) introduced technical fabrics that required couture-grade hand-finishing; Maria Grazia Chiuri (2016-present) pairs feminist storytelling with artisanal embroidery; and Kim Jones (from 2018, menswear) fuses streetwear codes with hand-pleated organza and intricate petit mains techniques. Each era reaffirmed that innovation at Dior begins with the human hand—whether draping a bar jacket or laser-cutting leather for a sneaker. In 2017, the maison even invested in the Chanakya ateliers in Mumbai, securing rare embroidery expertise and training hundreds of artisans to keep heritage crafts alive. 2. John Galliano joins Dior The modern era saw a series of visionary appointments that pushed traditional craftsmanship into the realm of spectacle. John Galliano (1997-2011) layered historical references with virtuoso cutting; Raf Simons (2012-16) introduced technical fabrics that required couture-grade hand-finishing; Maria Grazia Chiuri (2016-present) pairs feminist storytelling with artisanal embroidery; and Kim Jones (from 2018, menswear) fuses streetwear codes with hand-pleated organza and intricate petit mains techniques. Each era reaffirmed that innovation at Dior begins with the human hand—whether draping a bar jacket or laser-cutting leather for a sneaker. In 2017, the maison even invested in the Chanakya ateliers in Mumbai, securing rare embroidery expertise and training hundreds of artisans to keep heritage crafts alive. Exhibitions such as “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams,” the traveling “Lady Dior As Seen By,” and now the UBS-backed “House of Craft” underscore how Dior positions savoir-faire as cultural heritage rather than mere brand DNA. By placing archival toiles, 3-D-printed prototypes, and live demonstrations side by side, these showcases invite viewers to trace a straight line from a 1947 muslin sample to today’s couture gowns embroidered with 300,000 beads. John McDonald’s curatorial narrative in the current show argues that true luxury lies in time—time to imagine, to source, and above all to make—and Dior’s 78-year journey proves that sustained, unapologetic investment in craft can turn a single designer’s vision into a multibillion-dollar cultural force. 3. John Galliano joins Dior Exhibitions such as “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams,” the traveling “Lady Dior As Seen By,” and now the UBS-backed “House of Craft” underscore how Dior positions savoir-faire as cultural heritage rather than mere brand DNA. By placing archival toiles, 3-D-printed prototypes, and live demonstrations side by side, these showcases invite viewers to trace a straight line from a 1947 muslin sample to today’s couture gowns embroidered with 300,000 beads. John McDonald’s curatorial narrative in the current show argues that true luxury lies in time—time to imagine, to source, and above all to make—and Dior’s 78-year journey proves that sustained, unapologetic investment in craft can turn a single designer’s vision into a multibillion-dollar cultural force. 4. The modern era survives The modern era saw a series of visionary appointments that pushed traditional craftsmanship into the realm of spectacle. John Galliano (1997-2011) layered historical references with virtuoso cutting; Raf Simons (2012-16) introduced technical fabrics that required couture-grade hand-finishing; Maria Grazia Chiuri (2016-present) pairs feminist storytelling with artisanal embroidery; and Kim Jones (from 2018, menswear) fuses streetwear codes with hand-pleated organza and intricate petit mains techniques. Each era reaffirmed that innovation at Dior begins with the human hand—whether draping a bar jacket or laser-cutting leather for a sneaker. In 2017, the maison even invested in the Chanakya ateliers in Mumbai, securing rare embroidery expertise and training hundreds of artisans to keep heritage crafts alive. Exhibitions such as “Christian Dior: Designer of Dreams,” the traveling “Lady Dior As Seen By,” and now the UBS-backed “House of Craft” underscore how Dior positions savoir-faire as cultural heritage rather than mere brand DNA. By placing archival toiles, 3-D-printed prototypes, and live demonstrations side by side, these showcases invite viewers to trace a straight line from a 1947 muslin sample to today’s couture gowns embroidered with 300,000 beads. John McDonald’s curatorial narrative in the current show argues that true luxury lies in time—time to imagine, to source, and above all to make—and Dior’s 78-year journey proves that sustained, unapologetic investment in craft can turn a single designer’s vision into a multibillion-dollar cultural force.

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How UBS broke into fashion, wearing Dior