20 Facts About Catherine Dior

Ginette Dior, better known as Catherine Dior, was a French Resistance fighter during World War II.

Catherine Dior was close to her brother, the well-known couturier Christian Dior.

Catherine Dior helped preserve her brother's legacy after his death in 1957, and she became the honorary president of the Christian-Dior Museum from 1999 until her death in 2008, aged 90.

Catherine Dior had four siblings: Raymond, Jacqueline, Bernard, and the couturier Christian Dior.

Catherine Dior assisted in the family's survival by growing green beans and peas.

In November 1941, Catherine Dior met founding Resistance member Herve des Charbonneries while shopping in Cannes.

Catherine Dior fell in love with him; aged 36, des Charbonneries was a married man and had 3 children.

Catherine Dior joined him in the Resistance in late 1941, soon after her brother Christian returned to Paris.

Catherine Dior used Christian's apartment in Paris, located at 10 Rue Royale, in order to host underground Resistance meetings.

Catherine Dior was involved with the "Massif Central" section of the F2 network, a British-funded Resistance intelligence unit set up by the Polish government-in-exile to operate in France.

Catherine Dior was in charge of transmitting clandestine reports to London.

On 6 July 1944, Catherine Dior was arrested along with 26 other persons of the group, then tortured by the Gestapo.

Catherine Dior was transferred from Ravensbruck to the military prison of Torgau and posted to the all-female "Anton Kommando" to work on the production of explosives in a disused potassium mine.

Catherine Dior was liberated near Dresden during the same month and returned to Paris on 28 May 1945.

Catherine Dior then moved to Callian, Provence, buying there a rose farm for the production of fragrance, which she continued to exploit until her death.

The fragrance Miss Catherine Dior, presented on 12 February 1947 during the first fashion show of the company, might have been named after her.

Catherine Dior kept on preserving the legacy of her brother until her death.

In 1999, Catherine Dior inaugurated the opening of the Christian-Catherine Dior Museum in Granville.

Catherine Dior died on 17 June 2008 in Callian aged 90.

In September 2019, Maria Grazia Chiuri, then the creative director at Christian Dior, dedicated the Spring-Summer 2020 Ready-to-Wear runway collection to Catherine Dior, inspired by her passion for flowers.