Maria Grazia Chiuri made her debut for global fashion juggernaut Dior in Spring/Summer 2017 season with her "We Should All Be Feminist" tees. She hasn't stopped turning heads since, and Dior Cruise 2022 Collection is the latest evidence for this.

To be highlighted in this Greece-inspired collection is the Vibe Sneaker, which is said to be (finally) very Dior running shoes. Many have been waiting for this breakthrough since Kim Jones' appointment as Creative Director for Dior Men's back in March 2018.

As Jones launched sneakers after sneakers that have become immensely popular, the womenswear division of the brand, headed by Maria Grazia Chiuri, hasn't been giving the same satisfying output until the Vibe Sneaker was introduced.

Reimagining a classic running shoe with "Dior's couture spirit", Vibe Sneaker comes with a chunky silhouette yet a futuristic feel to it. The shoes feature white mesh and transparent rubber insert across the upper with extreme curves around the ankle on top of a sculptural heel.

For color-coordinating fashionistas, these footwear arrives in two color options, gold and silver. But not in a tacky way. The designer maintains the label's luxury cue by keeping it simple while still embellishing the shoes with the designer's signature elements, such as the star charm at the back and a "Christian Dior" signature on the tongue.

The simple yet sleek sneakers took inspiration from various performance shoes, including Asics and New Balance, while still shouting Dior couture in its overall aspect. A pair is priced at $1,152 and available in select Dior stores and its official website. 

The collection also features Dior's latest apparel and gym bags with the involvement of the Greece region's artisan. Aristeidis Tzonevrakis, a tailor and embroidered in the Peloponnese region in southern Greece, was commissioned by Maria Grazia Chiuri to embroider a jacket and a Dior Book Tote.

Silk Line, a factory based in centuries-old silk industrial town Soufli in the Eastern Macedonia and Thrace region, weaved the Dior's iconic stripes and houndstooth using jacquard looms. Meanwhile, Atelier Tsalavoutas, the only company to hold the "Hellenic Handcrafted Authenticity" label fisherman's cap, got its hats reinterpreted by Maria Grazia Chiuri with additional braid crowns by NE.M.A.

The aspiring Italian designer redefines Dior's savoir-faire with her touch. The overall collection, draped against the panoramic Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, also known as Kallimármaro, pays tribute to the photographs of Monsieur Dior's haute couture line by French magazine Paris Match taken in 1951.

The chosen venue was originally intended as a racecourse in around 330 B.C. in honor of the goddess Athena and was built entirely of Pentelic marble. It was also the home of the modern Olympics that opened and concluded within site in 1896. The location, restored in the second half of the 19th century, is chosen to bridge sport and culture, heritage and contemporary.

"An alliance of heritage and modernity that – within the iconic Panathenaic Stadium, the setting for the show – reveals a manifesto for a body that more than ever enjoys liberty of movement, performing without constraint," the fashion house revealed upon launching the debut show for the collection in June after 18 months of delay.

Dior collaborated with Greek archaeologists to ensure the site's complete and unconditional preservation throughout the event. Frequent front-rowers such as Cara Delevingne, Suki Waterhouse and Anya Taylor Joy were seen in line to see the collection first hand.

The French luxury fashion house has done a similar thing before. Previously, another iconic Greek landmark, Acropolis, played host for its autumn/winter 1951 haute couture collection show. 

The visual campaign that highlights the footwear itself was shot at the ancient Greek archaeological site of Nemea, the Temple of Zeus, by photographer Julia Hetta.

Celebrating the eternal beauty of Greece, the sneakers complement a resolutely contemporary sportswear style, cuts are loose and supple, and motifs dare to mix and match boldly. Maria Grazia Chiuri successfully combined the past and present by delivering enchanting modern mythology.