The room that houses part of the boiserie from the Barberini family library is dedicated to an installation by Maria Grazia Chiuri, Artistic Director of Dior’s women’s collections. In collaboration with Karishma Swali, Artistic Director of the Chanakya School of Craft, she chose to narrate the journeys of women who, in the 19th century, defied social conventions and the male normativity that loomed over their lives and choices. Even clothing was dictated by what was deemed appropriate, and women were forced into corsets, laces, ribbons, skirts, and petticoats—even while traveling. They could not even walk alone on the streets. Yet, six women defied the prevailing mindset and set off on their journeys, alone, modifying even their way of dressing as they went, breaking the mold and paving the way for new, self-determined models.
The artisans of the Chanakya School of Craft have visually reconstructed the cultural legacy of the six extraordinary women at the heart of this project: Annie Londonderry, Elizabeth Bisland, Nellie Bly, Gertrude Bell, Agnes Smith Lewis, and Margaret Dunlop Gibson. The Vatican Apostolic Library served as the starting point for a reflection on the richness of local traditions and the intellectual heritage of distant places, united by a long cultural history of weaving, tailoring, and decoration. En route is thus a conceptual, artistic, and visual journey that highlights these unexpected connections between the historical craftsmanship of geographically distant communities. Various techniques, carefully chosen fabrics with cultural significance, and weaving as a sacred and meditative act form the foundation of Maria Grazia and Karishma’s work on this project.
Maria Grazia Chiuri, Karishma Swali, Chanakya School of Craft
Il viaggio – Nellie Bly e Elizabeth Bisland; Il viaggio – Annie Londonderry; Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (Courtesy: Chanakya Foundation)
Four panels, each over four meters tall and dedicated to these traveling women, were created by layering multiple strands of linen and hemp threads, which were then dried and enriched with delicate kantha embroidery. This embroidery gives the fabric the appearance of an ancient parchment, made translucent and fragile by the passage of time. On each panel, through embroidery, past and present intertwine to narrate the evolution of women’s clothing. In this interplay of layering and cultural references, the stories of 19th-century female travelers meet the revolutionary design philosophy of Nanni Strada, the fashion designer who, in the 1970s, transformed the fashion world through innovative concepts, research, and technological advancements.
At the center of the space, two handcrafted globes were created by layering fabrics with various types of embroidery. These globes illustrate the richness of textile culture across different geographical areas of the world, outlining an imaginary geography that narrates the inner world, fantasies, and desires of the women artisans studying or working at the Chanakya School of Craft.
A travel trunk contains the standard garments, inspired by the transformations that clothing underwent during the process of gradual liberation from identity constraints. These standard garments, as performative elements, can be worn by visitors, who move from being mere observers of the artistic experience to active participants.
A final embroidered panel reads: “Femininity, The Trap”, featuring the technical drawing of a waist-cinching corset. It is a tribute to the title of an article Simone de Beauvoir wrote for Vogue in 1947, a text that laid the thematic foundations for what would become her seminal 1949 essay, The Second Sex. Women must take on the risk of their own existence and break free from the myth of femininity, from the fear of appearing less alluring because they are stronger, more autonomous, and less dependent—finally becoming subjects and protagonists in their own right.
