The symphony of fashion and culture comes to life in Manchester, where the sophisticated elegance of Chanel merges with the pulsating cultural energy of the city. Through Virginie Viard’s interpretation, the Métiers d’art 2023/24 collection becomes a vibrant fresco that celebrates Manchester’s musical history and the legacy of Gabrielle Chanel. The creative vision of Sofia Coppola previews the event, transforming snapshots of Manchester’s youth into a visual prologue, while a post-show exhibition, “ManchesterModern: Past Present Future,” brings together artistic talents to celebrate the city’s creativity. An ode to individuality, creativity, and the timeless fusion of fashion and culture
Words DOMENICO COSTANTINI
Twilight paints Thomas Street with enveloping hues, a curtain that anticipates the extraordinary union between Chanel‘s sophisticated elegance and the fervent cultural energy of Manchester. In this evocative representation, Virginie Viard emerges as the narrator of a story that weaves together the historical roots of the northern city with Chanel’s bold creativity, uniting the past with the present in a symphony of contrasts.
The words of Peter Saville, describing Chanel’s visit to the streets of Manchester as “dynamically unusual,” harmonize with Viard’s creative flair. The runway, illuminated by a sparkling and pop color palette, comes alive with visual emotions that embrace femininity and celebrate individuality. Colors, from salmon pink to rust, dance through suits, bags, and pearl necklaces, creating a vibrant and sophisticated spectacle.
Viard, declaring that “Manchester is the city of music,” encourages creation and ventures into tweed, the cornerstone fabric of this collection. Her reinterpretation, inspired by Coco Chanel‘s approach of bringing color to tweed, infuses the fabric with vitality and contemporary boldness. The reflective pavement of Thomas Street, wet from persistent rain, becomes the stage for this visual narrative.
The creative director immerses herself in the codes of the House of Chanel with simplicity and precision, celebrating Gabrielle Chanel’s sartorial mastery. Jackets with chain hems, contrasting inner fabrics, and topstitch panels blend harmoniously, offering a line continuity that traverses wrap skirts, godet mini skirts, Bermuda shorts, and coat-dresses. Tweed, Shetland, and cashmere become narrative fabrics tracing ideas steeped in British culture. The collection’s rhythm amplifies with pleats, feathers, and embroidery, while hats and jewel buttons from resident Métiers d’art add refined details. Teapots, vinyl records, and flowers adorn the ensemble, while black Mary-Jane shoes dare a well-calibrated frankness. Jeans, leather, babydoll knitwear, and strapless dresses complete the image, investing in sectors as varied as football, Manchester’s music scene, or the English countryside.
Sofia Coppola‘s visual narrative anticipates the event, transforming snapshots of Manchester’s youth into a visual prologue. The short film, curated by Coppola, merges Manchester’s urban graphics with its famous music scene, setting the atmosphere for the runway. A perfect symbiosis between Viard’s vision and the soul of the city, ready to manifest in the collection. Coppola’s project is not just a prelude but an independent symphony. A multifaceted representation of Manchester reflected in the details of embroidery, vibrant colors, and bold lines of the collection. The city, seen through the director’s eyes, becomes a narrative stage, whose essence seeps through the folds of Chanel’s fabrics.
The celebration continues in the days following the runway with the exhibition “ManchesterModern: Past Present Future.” The name of the exhibition echoes Manchester’s extraordinary creative vitality. “Manchestermodern” – a neologism coined by author and critic Paul Morley – reflects the unerring modernity of a cultural capital at the cutting edge of musical history, whose identity has always been connected to the avant-garde and progressive ideas. “Manchestermodern” is divided into three periods – past, present and future – and takes over the building’s three large swimming pools to showcase works by artists of all generations who have shaped and continue to shape the city’s history. Among them are graphic designer and art director Peter Saville who collaborated with CHANEL on the occasion of the show, photographers Martin Parr, Alasdair McLellan, Elaine Constantine, Shirley Baker and Kevin Cummins, poets John Cooper Clarke, Boshra G, Princess Arinola Adegbite aka P.A. BITEZ and Lemn Sissay, and other artists at the crossroads of various disciplines such as Sarah-Joy Ford, Benji Reid, Griot Gabriel and Dave Draws. In one of these three spaces, participatory workshops allow visitors the chance to discover the tools and savoir-faire of three resident Maisons d’art at le19M’s: embroiderers Lesage and Montex, and feather worker and flower maker Lemarié, who all render the CHANEL collections sublime and were once again under the spotlight at the latest Métiers d’art show. Participants will contribute to the creation of three embroidered panels which will then be assembled to form a map of Manchester and its legendary landmarks. Through this exhibition celebrating Manchester’s young creative talents, CHANEL reaffirms its commitment to the Fashion Métiers d’art and its support for the creativity of today and tomorrow.
