Photo © ARR

Dior and UNESCO came together with a single voice during the third UNESCO & Women@Dior Global Conference at UNESCO House in Paris. The event celebrates themes at the heart of the Women@Dior mentoring and educational program, created to help young women build a better future.

The agenda highlighted the program’s five core values – self-care and self-awareness, autonomy, inclusion, creativity and sustainable development – with workshops led by professionals and insights shared by engaged and inspiring women.

Chantal Gaemperlé (LVMH Group Executive Vice President Human Resources and Synergies), Emmanuelle Favre (Christian Dior Couture SVP Human Resources), Stefania Giannini (UNESCO Assistant Director-General for Education) and Dior Mentors and Mentees were joined by this edition’s guests of honor, singer-songwriter Imany and socially-committed Afghan photographer Fatimah Hossaini, as participants shared their visions and commitments for the emancipation of women.

An exceptional jury chaired by Dior Artistic Director Maria Grazia Chiuri also announced the winners of the Dream For Change Project. Part of the Women Leadership & Sustainability Education Program – the educational platform launched by Women@Dior last year – this initiative invites Mentees to support the empowerment of young girls at the local level to foster the emergence of talented women.

Launched in 2017, Women@Dior has already provided support for thousands of young women from 25 countries around the world studying at business, engineering, art and fashion schools.

The Women@Dior program carries on the longstanding engagement of the celebrated Paris fashion house. In 1955, Christian Dior spoke to over 4,000 students in the Grand Amphithéâtre of the Sorbonne. His remarks – a dialogue with French civilization professor Jacqueline de Menou – were followed by a fashion show.

A special replay of the conference has been posted on the Women@Dior platform.

© Rudy Bueno

Guerlain has become a patron of the Vallée de la Millière, a biodiversity reserve created by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, continuing the Maison’s longstanding commitment to restoring ecosystems and heightening public awareness around sustainable development issues. Centered on ecology and education, this latest initiative resonates with the 15th anniversary of Guerlain’s engagement “In the Name of Beauty”.

Acquired by Yann Arthus-Bertrand in 2020, the Vallée de la Millière is rich in history for Guerlain, since it belonged for many years to the founding family. Today, the photographer, director and environmentalist chairs an association overseeing a series of projects at this exceptional site, which has been officially designated a “Natural Zone of Interest for Ecology, Flora and Fauna”. Conceived around the objective of “rewilding”, the project has already identified over 350 different animal and vegetal species in the area, which borders the well-known Rambouillet Forest. Through partnerships with the Université de Paris-Saclay and the Parc Naturel de la Haute Vallée de Chevreuse, the Vallée de la Millière will welcome researchers studying ways to mitigate human impact on ecosystems.

“I’ve accomplished one of my most cherished dreams by acquiring this extraordinary 30-hectare site – which I have visited since my childhood – and rewilding it as nature intended. We’ll have a chance to observe what happens when Mother Nature takes back control without any human intervention. There’s clearly a utopian aspect here, but it’s also tremendously exciting. Insects, foxes, badgers and larger mammals will all reclaim their rightful place in this unique habitat. I would love to one day walk in the forest without animals being afraid of me. My dream is for them to regain the inherent trust they have for humankind,” says Yann Arthus-Bertrand.

The project includes the ambitious “Le Jardin des Partages” (“Garden of Sharing”), a 1.4-hectare area adjacent to the nature reserve that will be home to an educational communal garden designed according to agroforestry and permaculture principles. With input from Guerlain Master Perfumer Thierry Wasser, the area will trial sustainable growth techniques to study the feasibility of introducing them on a larger scale with Guerlain suppliers, thus contributing to the goals of LVMH’s LIFE 360 program.

Echoing Guerlain’s values of sharing and passing on savoir-faire, the Vallée de la Millière will thrive as it becomes a haven of biodiversity. The reserve will open to the public in 2023, welcoming small groups to promote awareness and let people learn more about the critical importance of biodiversity. By bridging the gap between humans and nature, Guerlain and the Vallée de la Millière seek to convey a message of hope and encourage other rewilding initiatives across France.