It was with these findings that the new Rouge Dior collection was built. You won’t find shades of shocking pink or acid-bright coral here, but instead 70 different shades that all fall within the “natural” realm and were frequently referenced within the bell curve of Dior’s global research. Many of the shades are refillable (the brand also found that it’s actually more eco-friendly to only create refills for the best-selling shades) and come in two different finishes, satin and velvet.
And the number 70 isn’t just coincidence or simply the shade rage that the statistical data provided: It’s been 70 years since Dior launched their first collection of lipsticks launched in 1953.
“The lipsticks began as a gift from Monsieur Dior for those attending a fashion show,” Frederic Bourdelier, the director of culture and heritage at Dior, shares while we (oh-so-gently) flip through some of Christian’s first sketches. “It created quite a buzz. Two years later he released the first collection, which was eight shades of lipstick, in a refillable obelisk case designed by Baccarat. It’s all very Parisian.”
Holding the original collection in my white-gloved hand, it all feels quite contemporary (minus the fact that the solid crystal tube is heavy, rivaling my laptop). Naturally, there are shades that compare to the modern Rouge Dior collection, like 9 and 99, which have morphed into Dior’s 999. In 1953, the bright red likely would have been considered a statement lip, but in 2023, it’s now so seamless it’s could be considered a nude.
“Different cultures and then the women in that culture approach the idea of nude individually,” Philips shares. “Now, we have a nude for everybody.”