Created in 2017, Women@Dior is a unique international mentoring & educational program that has coached and helped blossom thousands of young women all over the world. The program is a unique occasion to learn what is not taught: self-confidence and to dare for your career destiny. The participants are selected from the best business, engineering, art and fashion schools spanning across almost 25 different countries such as France, China, Nigeria, Kenya, Costa Rica, Brazil, Iran and Bangladesh just to name a few. Through the educational program, they are trained by inspiring leaders and stakeholders on several themes such as gender equality and women’s leadership for a sustainable future. The Mentees will be guided by their Dior Mentors as they take their first steps in their careers and whilst they build their professional experience.
Each Mentee/Mentor duo shares an exclusive relationship and are matched through an innovative approach based on their compatibility.
The program is built on 4 core values :
This initiative highlights the crucial importance of education in imagining a more sustainable and united world. Through the exchange of knowledge, this program will enable young women to build a better future by developing their autonomy.
Combining high standards and excellence, this multilayered and ethically conscious year-long program is open to +500 international students and is based on the four core values of Women@Dior – Autonomy, Inclusion, Creativity and Sustainability, which are taught through exclusive courses led by professors chosen from some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, including Central Saint Martins in London, Bocconi University in Milan, and HEC and Centrale Supélec in Paris.
Following the coursework, participants are invited to put what they have learnt into practice by creating a project that supports the empowerment of young girls - the “Dream for Change” project. The most impactful projects will be eligible to receive support from the House of Dior and the LVMH group.
Dior joined UNESCO’s Global Education Coalition in 2020 on World Youth Skills Day, becoming the first couture house to do so, by opening its Women@Dior program to over 200 talented young female students from Nigeria, Kenya, Ghana, Tanzania, Jamaica, Pakistan, the Philippines and Sri Lanka. It is a concrete commitment to give disadvantaged young women around the world the opportunity to receive an education, which is of utmost importance when taking into account society’s stakes and the global health crisis.
“Talent is universal, but opportunity is not, especially for a generation of young women whose education has been severely affected by the pandemic. By joining the Global Coalition with an initiative that empowers and carries promise for the future, the Dior couture house is sending a strong message of commitment and confidence, giving young women from disadvantaged backgrounds the chance to fulfill their dreams”
Stefania Giannini, UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education
© Christian Dior Couture
© Christian Dior Couture
“This program has really inspired the young women. For us real life involves competing, dreaming and loving. I’m so happy to have met so many talented women from around the world and to have learnt something from them. I hope there will be more contact in the future and that we can build a bridge between women from different countries.”
Thank you for giving us such a marvellous experience at the launch. It was a real pleasure to learn a bit of Maison Dior’s history. I would like to thank all the people I met during the program for their reception and their exceptional care which was far beyond what I was expecting.”
“I was very impressed with how us students were treated by both Maison Dior and their mentors. It was formal and polite. More importantly everyone had a respectful attitude towards each other. Even though I’m only a young student and participating as a mentee, each supervisor and mentor had a positive attitude and was open to what I said and asked. The atmosphere was both formal and luxurious and I really felt Dior’s trademark image. It was a precious experience.”
“The Women@Dior event was such an amazing and formative experience. The workshops and speakers at the event really put into perspective the unique challenges and triumphs that we face as women in the workforce and how we can overcome societal barriers to make our mark on the world. These lessons, as well as the strong connections I was able to make with fellow mentees and mentors, made for a truly unforgettable experience.”
Women@Dior is an invitation-only program. All participants are selected based on three criteria: talent, ambition and generosity. They are all young women full of promise and potential who are united in the notion that their professional success is related to the sorority.
Applications for 2021 Women@Dior have now closed. Please visit our website again at the end of the year for more information regarding the 2022 intake.
“Women, who have such strong natural instinct, must have understood that I not only dreamed of making them more beautiful, but also happier.”
Monsieur Christian Dior, « Christian Dior and I »
