The Christian Dior Group was founded in 1946 by Christian Dior, who started his haute couture brand in a Paris townhouse where the company still has its headquarters. Since then, the company has purchased LVMH and a long list of luxury brands to form the global luxury group it is today. Brands are broken into “maisons” or houses, of broad product categories such as Champagne or Perfumes and Cosmetics, each focused on transcending time through growing its brands while protecting their unique images of distinction, including for example, Hennessy, Dom Pérignon, Veuve Clicquot, Louis Vuitton and the original Christian Dior.

The group believes future growth is best served by taking a long-term view and gives free reign to creativity and initiative in all its employees in every profession. The group maps future strategy for all brands using the same three core values: first, creativity and innovation; second, the fine craftsmanship through which each house has built its legacy; and third, entrepreneurial agility. These values manifest organically in each house. For example, Perfumes and Cosmetics runs an R&D center in Hélios, France, focused on cell science for protecting the skin and providing long-lasting hydration, a team that so far has been granted 200 patents. The Sephora brand on the other hand, is known for its role in leading the digital transformation of the broader retail industry, building customer loyalty online with personalized beauty experiences and interactive, flexible shopping.

Believing that climate change is a major threat to the world’s future, in 2011 LVMH launched the LIFE program that has since been expanded to reinforce environmental concerns in design, materials and sourcing, carbon neutrality, clean manufacturing, product lifespan and transparency across all maisons. To nurture tomorrow’s talent, the group honors the work of up-and-coming designers with an annual Prize for Young Fashion Designers.

As of 12/31/20, Christian Dior and LVMH were not held in the Knowledge Leaders Strategy.