Couture Council Honors Dior’s Maria Grazia Chiuri at Annual Luncheon

Dr. Valerie Steele, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dr. Joyce F. Brown, Samira Nasr
From left: Dr. Valerie Steele, Maria Grazia Chiuri, Dr. Joyce F. Brown, and Samira Nasr at the Koch Theater. Chiuri is holding the silver spool Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion. Image by Yvonne Tnt for BFA.

On Wednesday, September 7, the Couture Council of The Museum at FIT (MFIT) honored Maria Grazia Chiuri, creative director of women’s haute couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories collections for Dior, with its 2022 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion. The award was presented by Samira Nasr, editor-in-chief of Harper’s Bazaar, during the council’s annual fundraising luncheon, held this year at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center. The event was co-chaired by Julie Macklowe, founder and CEO of The Macklowe whiskey, and Kara Ross, both of whom are Couture Council board members. Presented by Nordstrom, the event supports MFIT’s exhibitions, programming, and symposia, all of which are free and open to the public.

Maria Grazia Chiuri sitting at a luncheon table.
Maria Grazia Chiuri. Image by Yvonne Tnt for BFA.

“I am really touched to be here in the context of The Museum at FIT, a space for research on fashion, a space for education,” said Chiuri. “This is something very special—to understand that fashion is part of culture, part of history, and that by studying it, we understand ourselves and our society. This is something central to my work. It is what inspires me. Every collection is an opportunity to study, to read, to research.”

In the evening, Chiuri inspired FIT students during an intimate conversation with Dr. Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of MFIT.  She discussed her upbringing, her career trajectory, and her commitment to women’s empowerment.

Click here for a full gallery of photos from the Couture Council Luncheon.

Notable attendees included Kat Graham, Pete Nordstrom, Derek Blasberg, Francisco Costa, Ken Downing, Aurora James, Nina Garcia, Julia Haart, Candace Bushnell, Rickie De Sole, Timo Weiland (DJ of the luncheon), Jean Shafiroff, Ramy Brook Sharp, Liz Peek, Fern Mallis, Cameron Silver, Fe Fendi, Eleanora Kennedy, Veronica Webb, Yaz Hernández, FIT President Joyce F. Brown, and Dr. Valerie Steele, among others.

Valerie Steele and Maria Grazia Chiuri on stage at FIT with an audience of students behind them
Chiuri with MFIT’s Steele at FIT’s Katie Murphy Amphitheatre where she talked with students about her career. Photo by Lorenzo Ciniglio.

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