Chanel Brings Métiers d'Art to Manchester for a Colorful, Pop Culture-Inspired Collection

Ana Colón

Fri, December 8, 2023 at 12:27 AM UTC

7 min read

Chanel may be firmly rooted in Paris, but its runway shows and collections are truly global — in feel, in inspiration and certainly in reach. So, a few times a year, typically for pre-collections, the luxury fashion house will take the whole production on the road. Cruise took us to Los Angeles, and now Métiers d'art crosses the English Channel to Manchester, historically considered the first industrialized city in the world and known as the breeding ground for some of the most influential rock bands, from Joy Division and New Order to Oasis and The Smiths (and, much less importantly, for a handful of iconic "Love Island" contestants).

In press materials, Chanel described Manchester as "one of the most effervescent capitals of pop culture... an avant-garde city whose bands, spanning all genres, have changed the history of music." (Founder Coco Chanel is also said to have spent time in nearby Cheshire, at Eaton Hall.) Teasers for the show — including graphics reminiscent of concert posters with a logo designed by Peter Saville and a short film by brand ambassador Sofia Coppola set to New Order's "Blue Monday" — also suggested Virginie Viard would be leaning into the city's music scene as inspiration for the collection.

The first look at the clothes themselves came via a photoshoot creative-directed by Coppola, captured by Jamie Hawkesworth and styled by Ib Kamara, of young locals (Mancunians, as they're known) modeling pieces that included a velvet jersey sweater embellished with ribbons, tweed jackets woven with denim and pink bouclette threads and knit suiting in shades of red, mustard and lilac.

<p>Mancunians modeling Chanel Métiers d'art 2024. Photo: Jamie Hawkesworth/Courtesy of Chanel</p> — Mancunians modeling Chanel Métiers d'art 2024. Photo: Jamie Hawkesworth/Courtesy of Chanel

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The show itself took place on Thursday evening, on a street that was shut down and enclosed by a glass roof, protecting guests from the rainy weather. As it walked down the runway, the Métiers d'art collection revealed itself to be less literal in its interpretation of the source material, and much more informed by nostalgia for the decades in which Manchester's music scene was at its peak: The rich, saturated colors and boxy, knee-skimming-or-higher silhouettes are plucked from the '70s, '80s and '90s, reimagined for the brand's clientele in the finest fabrications its 19 specialty ateliers can offer. These subtleties come alive in the textures seen throughout, almost reflecting the nuances of the metropolis.

There are more direct nods to the look we associate with rock-and-roll across the years, like a loose, orange, furry and feather-lined black jacket (very Penny Lane) and a long-sleeved burgundy knit styled over a boxy black short-sleeved blouse. It mostly comes across through the accessories: newsboy caps, thigh-high socks, extra-long scarves and matching beanies interspersed throughout. But the overall color palette is a departure from what we'd expect from the source material and from Viard, who's past collection have skewed darker and moodier.

Another nod to Manchester's music scene: Among the usual crowd of Chanel ambassadors — Coppola, Kristen Stewart, Caroline de Maigret — were local music legend nepo babies Gene and Lennon Gallagher (sons of Liam Gallagher), as well as rapper Aitch and R&B singer Victoria Jane. Karen Elson, who was born just outside the city, closed the show.

See the full Chanel 2024 Métiers d'art collection, below.