The space that Shohei Shigematsu of OMA created in Shanghai for Dior

"Miss Dior: Stories of a Miss", is the latest exhibition designed by OMA under the direction of Shohei Shigematsu, partner at OMA New York. Before Dior, the studio had collaborated with Prada and its contemporary art foundation, designed a series of sculptures for Louis Vuitton’s New York pop-up store, and renovated Tiffany’s historic flagship on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. This latest project, open until early October, retraces the 78-year history of Miss Dior—the first perfume conceived by an emerging Christian Dior and launched in 1947, coinciding with the debut of the maison’s very first fashion collection. The name pays tribute to Christian’s younger sister, Catherine Dior: a leading figure in the French Resistance who, after World War II, chose a new life dedicated to floriculture.

Spread across two floors of the Fosun Foundation in Shanghai, the exhibition features dresses, archival materials, works by contemporary Chinese artists, and limited-edition products. A total of 200 objects are on display, though certain highlights stand out: a ribbon, unrolled like that from the perfume’s packaging, transforms into a pathway of arched portals reminiscent of traditional Chinese moon gates, guiding visitors through Dior’s history; a dome woven with embroidered tapestries by French artist Eva Jospin houses a couture dress designed by Raf Simons; while an entire wall is covered with life-size illustrations by René Gruau and Mats Gustafson (Dior’s historic and current illustrators). OMA’s exhibition design translates into space the metamorphosis the brand has undergone from the 1940s to today, in a setting that recalls both the antique pink of Gruau’s elegant posters and the neon pink of the globalized, cinematic image Dior has built over recent decades. A show that is at once a tribute and a pop reinterpretation of a lesser-known side of Dior’s history—even for those who know the brand intimately.