The French fashion house will reveal its collection for the Cruise 2022 season in the Greek capital June 17, as owner LVMH continues to invest in splashy marketing spectacles to capitalise on strong momentum at its second-biggest brand.

The show will pay tribute to an iconic Dior photoshoot on the Acropolis 70 years ago, as well as incorporating the work of local craftspeople.

Rapid growth at Christian Dior has helped LVMH bounce back rapidly from the coronavirus crisis. Last week the group said first-quarter fashion sales were up by 37 percent over pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

Destination runway shows for the cruise season have become major marketing moments under Dior’s creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri, who uses the exotic locations as a chance to explore new references and artisanal techniques. Think West African wax fabrics in Marrakech, or tombolo lace in Puglia. Dior persisted with the strategy even during the pandemic, staging a show in Lecce, Italy last July at a time when fashion executives were forecasting that this sort of spectacle would become rarer or perhaps never return.

The company has mostly shrugged off mounting concerns about the carbon footprint of destination shows, as well as accusations of cultural appropriation. “Cultural appreciation,” Grazia Chiuri insists.