French luxury house Chanel will unveil its next Métiers d’Art collection on December 3 in Hangzhou, China.
As the maison continues its search for a new creative director, the show will proceed as planned, mirroring the approach taken for the haute couture collection presented in June, which was led by the company’s studio team.
It is now widely known that Chanel’s interim creative director, Virginie Viard, who succeeded Karl Lagerfeld following his death in 2019, was dismissed, explaining her sudden departure. Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion, is leading the current recruitment effort.
Any new designer will need to demonstrate a vision capable of guiding the house for the next decade while preserving Chanel’s heritage, precluding a carte blanche appointment. Chanel does not require a fundamental design overhaul; rather, it seeks products that captivate customers while maintaining its iconic double C logo and tweed at its core.
The Métiers d’Art collections serve to showcase the work of the luxury house’s specialised ateliers, encompassing embroidery, featherwork, knitwear and floral designs, as well as Chanel-owned factories that produce the finest ready-to-wear and haute couture. Mr Pavlovsky once told Women’s Wear Daily: “Fashion could not be what it is today without this amazing know-how.”
By the time Chanel presents its collection in China this winter, a successor may well have been announced.
In an interview with The Cut, Mr Pavlovsky appeared to suggest that Hedi Slimane may no longer be under consideration, as certain aspects of the business cannot be subordinated to the personal narrative of any incoming designer. The Wertheimer brothers, Chanel’s owners, would likely oppose a clean slate approach. Innovation, bold ideas and managing a 20bn dollar fashion house are intricately intertwined, demanding both commercial acumen and design prowess in equal measure. It remains to be seen which designer is up to the task.
