Chanel to unveil the next Métiers d'Art collection in China

As its latest creative director, Virginie Viard, took her final bow on June 5, and just a week after the presentation of the Fall 2024 Couture collection, Chanel continues to surprise us. Indeed, the Maison announced today in a brief statement that the presentation of its next Métiers d’Art show will take place in Hangzhou, a city in northern China, on December 3rd. It is on the banks of the West Lake, a UNESCO World Heritage site, that we will discover the collection created by Chanel's internal studio team. While it is difficult to imagine what it will look like, there is no doubt that the setting will make the show a colorful spectacle. The Métiers d’Art collection, a concept imagined and implemented by Karl Lagerfeld 22 years ago, is a collection presented every year in December. Its aim is to pay tribute to and celebrate the craftsmanship of the artisans of the art houses, the "petites mains" (such as embroiderers, milliners, goldsmiths, and feather workers) often left in the background. First presented in 2002 on Rue Cambon, a symbolic place in the history of the Maison, where Chanel established in 1918 and now extends from number 19 to number 31, the brand has not hesitated in recent years to cross the French border and fly to new horizons for the autumn show. The 2023/2024 edition, for example, took place in Manchester, England, while the 2017/2018 edition was held in Hamburg, Lagerfeld's hometown. However, this year, the brand has decided to aim higher and leave Europe.

It is none other than the Middle Kingdom that the Maison has chosen for the presentation of the December collection. Chanel is not the first one to have chosen China as the host country for its show. As recently as last May, Balenciaga presented its Spring 2025 collection in Shanghai, while Alexandre Mattiussi took his Fall-Winter 2024-2025 collection for his brand AMI to Suzhou in April. Louis Vuitton also set down in Shanghai last April for its Pre-Fall 2024 show, presented in the majestic Long Museum West Bund, the richest private museum in China. Although Bruno Pavlosky, president of fashion and Chanel SAS, justified this choice by Gabrielle Chanel's love for the Coromandel region, it is highly likely that economic and commercial reasons are also behind this decision. The Chinese luxury market is constantly evolving, marked by increased domestic spending, the growing appetite of the younger generation, and a shift towards sustainable and ethical products, an opportunity that European luxury brands must seize at all costs. A study conducted by Forvis Mazars reveals that the Chinese market, now stable again after the 2020 crisis, is witnessing a strong recovery in premium product consumption. Indeed, China represents more than 33% of global luxury consumption, a figure expected to increase and reach 40% by 2025, becoming the second largest luxury market in the world after the United States.

Moreover, Chanel, alongside Cartier, seems to have withstood the slowdown of the Chinese market and even achieved record sales in 2023, totaling 15.6 billion euros. China is therefore a prosperous ground for luxury, something that Chanel has understood, as the brand also plans to present its 2024/2025 cruise collection there, scheduled for November 5 in Hong Kong, just a month before the Métiers d’art collection presentation. Chanel's choice is therefore far from being random and promises to combine business with pleasure, as in addition to providing the brand with significant visibility, it guarantees the public a unique fashion and travel experience, both for its European and Chinese customers. An unexpected blend of European and Asian cultures that could work. Although the question of who will take on the role of new creative director remains unanswered, the Maison seems unwilling to slow down and continues to thrive on all fronts. We can only wait and see what surprises the brand still has in store for us.