ANCHORS AWEIGH: Chanel is returning to the South of France for its cruise collection.
After staging the destination show in Los Angeles last year, the French fashion house plans to present the cruise 2025 line in the port city of Marseille on May 2.
The event will “celebrate the energy and cultural vitality that make it one of the most effervescent places on the Mediterranean coast,” Chanel said in a statement shared exclusively with WWD.
Chanel creative director Virginie Viard has previously alighted in Les Baux-de-Provence and Monte Carlo, making the French Riviera a natural destination, though as a multicultural hub with historic links to North Africa, Marseille has an edgier reputation that has made it a major draw for creatives and designers.
“Chanel is delighted to be making a stopover in such a culturally open-minded city,” the house said.
As part of the OpenMyMed festival, Marseille has hosted shows by younger labels such as Jacquemus and Koché, but luxury brands tend to gravitate to more traditionally glamorous locations such as Cannes and Saint-Tropez.
Coming on the heels of its recent Métiers d’Art show in Manchester, England, the announcement suggests that Chanel is courting a younger clientele sensitive to diversity.
Louis Vuitton has scheduled its cruise show for May 23, while Dior has penciled in June 3, with locations to be revealed at a later date.
