Duy Anh Nhan Duc transforms the Lady Dior into a portable garden

Dior Lady Art

The new series of Dior Talks – hosted by Paris-based journalist Katya Foreman – is dedicated to the eagerly anticipated ninth edition of Dior Lady Art. Eleven global artists have been invited to transform the iconic Lady Dior handbag into a unique piece of art.

A lover of nature like Monsieur Dior himself, our latest guest is the Vietnam-born, Paris-based artist Duy Anh Nhan Duc, a green-fingered poet who creates ethereal installations composed of common weeds and wildflowers, forming the essence of his enchanting universe. The artist collects them near his studio in Le Pré-Saint-Gervais, focusing on the “forgotten plants” that push through the cracks of sidewalks – the type he would play with as a child – from salsifies, thistles and wheat to clover and dandelion puffballs that, when blown, disperse into an explosion of seeds. He then painstakingly dries them in his studio to use in his works, weaving a fascinating dialogue from the cycles of life, focusing on the fragility of the moment.

For Dior Lady Art, the artist imprints his passion for wild plants onto a pristine white Lady Dior, fusing organic simplicity with virtuoso elegance. A profusion of plants embossed into vegan leather is enhanced by delicate embroidery, while in lieu of the iconic cannage quilting, a delicate wire trellis is partly exposed, symbolizing a garden that is open to all. Adorned with contrasting golden branches crafted from gilded metal, the bag also contains a hidden surprise: the secret talisman of a gold-embellished dandelion, captured in a drop of resin for all eternity.

Download the episode to learn more about Duy Anh Nhan Duc’s remarkable vegetal artistry.

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