An immersive architectural installation designed by the architecture and design firm opng is staged inside the former Chase Manhattan banking hall, a 1961 structure by SOM. House of Craft x Dior is a show of haute couture works from the fashion house’s archives. Presented by UBS and Dior, and curated by fashion icon Carine Roitfeld, the clothing and accessories are brought to life in this historic setting. The exhibition orbits around Isamu Noguchi’s 1964 Sunken Garden, a serene, geometric landscape of basalt stones, water, and abstracted nature. opng’s design uses the site’s tranquility, creating a mirrored, “maze-like” architecture that visually connects the haute couture on display with Noguchi’s own sculptural language.
The exhibition spans 30,000 square feet, wrapping visitors in a network of 10-foot mirrored walls. These surfaces reflect and multiply Dior gowns, accessories, process sketches, and photographs.
House of Craft x Dior pays tribute to all seven of Dior’s creative directors—Christian Dior, Yves Saint Laurent, Marc Bohan, Gianfranco Ferré, John Galliano, Raf Simons, and Maria Grazia Chiuri—as well as menswear designer Kim Jones. Each director’s vision is represented through silhouettes, displayed alongside behind-the-scenes materials that offer insight into the meticulousness of couture.
The exhibition includes a striking 60-foot “Silhouette Wall” featuring Brigitte Niedermair’s portraits of each designer’s most defining creations. A 24-foot worktable is surrounded by videos of couturiers from Dior’s Haute Couture House describing the construction process of making Dior’s most recognizable garments.
Commissioned by Chase in 1961, Noguchi’s Sunken Garden embodies a midcentury belief in art’s ability to humanize the urban landscape. By placing Dior’s intricate couture into this minimalist, tranquil site, UBS and opng initiates a conversation between eras, disciplines, and design philosophies.
The exhibition is part of UBS’s ongoing House of Craft initiative, which launched in 2024. House of Craft x Dior on view from June 6 to June 8.
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