Christian Dior was born in Granville, a seaside town on the coast of France.
His family, whose fortune was derived from the manufacture of fertilizer, had hopes he would become a diplomat, but Dior only wished to be involved in mostly fashion, but sketching as well.
To make money, he sold his fashion sketches outside his house for about 10 cents each.
After leaving school he received money from his father so that in 1928 he could open a small art gallery, where he sold art by the likes of Pablo Picasso.
After a family financial disaster that resulted in his father losing his business, Christian Dior was forced to close the gallery.
From the 1930s to the 1940s he worked with Robert Piguet until being called up for military service.
In 1942, having left the Army, Dior joined the fashion house of Lucien Lelong, where he and Pierre Balmain were the primary designers.
For the duration of World War II, Christian Dior dressed the wives of the Nazi officers and French collaborators. On 16 December 1946 Dior founded his own fashion house, backed by Marcel Boussac, the cotton-fabric magnate.
