Coco Chanel’s Interior Musings Brought to Life in Hangzhou for Métiers d’Art 2025
Coco Chanel never visited Hangzhou, the Chinese city known as “heaven on earth,” but her imagination did, as she was mesmerized by black lacquer coromandel screens, one of which depicted the sophistication and grandeur of the lake that has inspired countless artists, poets and literati.
Fast forward a century later, and the French luxury house landed in the modern iteration of Coco’s Hangzhou dreamscape with its latest Métiers d’Art collection, which was unveiled on the fabled lake on Tuesday.
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The annual collection, which brings together the intricate craftsmanship of more than 100 artisans at the house’s specialist subsidiaries — including embroiderers, feather workers, flower-makers, goldsmiths, pleaters, shoemakers, hatters, milliners, glove-makers and tanners — was designed by the studio team and depicted the fictional life of a female traveler, perhaps modeled after Coco herself.
The runway, a floating circular structure amid West Lake’s misty waters and glistening waves, has been heavily documented on Chinese social media for the past two weeks. The showcase itself, described by locals netizens as “fostering a symbiotic relationship,” was the second Métiers d’Art collection ever showcased in China. In 2009, Karl Lagerfeld used the neon-lit skyline of Shanghai for the brand’s pre-fall extravaganza.
For Chanel, the traveling show was all about the cultural experience, thus its carefully chosen list of clients, stars, media guests, influencers and local artists were treated to trips to the mythical temples, craftsmanship lessons, and glitzy soirées that immersed them in the rich cultural heritage of the lakeside city.
The shimmering lake, framed by mountains and surrounded by pagodas, once provided a sense of escapism for China’s court elites. But much has changed in recent history, as the iconic tourist destination came to exemplify ecological restoration success. In the wake of China’s digital economy boom, Hangzhou became the country’s e-commerce hub, home to the likes of Alibaba and numerous successful beauty start-ups.
Perhaps modern Hangzhou was best sketched out in the short film that Chanel released ahead of the show. Lensed by German auteur Wim Wenders, the three-minute video sees Tilda Swinton transported from Coco Chanel’s Rue Cambon alcove to the idyllic West Lake. Swinton, alongside her local wingmen Chinese actor Xin Zhilei and singer-songwriter Leah Dou, can be seen traversing the historical streets of Hangzhou, learning Chinese calligraphy, researching “dragon well” tea harvests in a small village nearby, and trying to figure out the maze-like map on the original coromandel screen.
The show, preceded by a Chinese drum, or tanggu, performance, was a masterclass in how to incorporate traditional Chinese garment signifiers in a modern way.
The collection lifted whimsical symbols from the coromandel screen, including intricate floral, fruit and scholarly objects, and incorporated them into an iconic Chanel wardrobe, one that felt delicate, sophisticated and youthful, albeit lacking in sartorial vigor.
Staying on theme, the coromandel print found its way onto bodysuits, stockings and silk overcoats, as well as relaxed two-piece suits. But it was the subtle embrace of Chinese elements or dress codes that will most likely sell well, including the statuesque coat and jackets with huge sleeves; Paddington coats seamlessly fused with the Tang suit, and the high-slit cocktail dress reminiscent of a qipao.
Chanel’s loyal fans will also inevitably fawn over the bag-on-bag system — more polished and prim than the popular “chaotic accessorizing” trend driving bag and accessories sales — which includes the likes of fortune cookie, accordion lantern, abacus-adorned and fan-shaped minibags that can be attached to larger shoulder styles shaped like a dumpling with side pockets. Using soft hues such as ceylon green, ivory, baby blue, beige and gold, the accessories department was perhaps spellbound by Song Dynasty ceramics.
Reminiscent of the sparkling fresh water by the West Lake during magic hours, the lineup was devised with light-reflecting details lavishly worked by Desrues’ sculpted buttons, intricate Lesage embroideries, Lemarié and Lognon’s delicate pleating and flounces, and Goossens’ distinctive goldsmithing. Ateliers Montex and Lesage worked their magic to modify a pair of go-go boots that Coco Chanel wore in the 1960s; the redux also comes in fiery red and black-and-camel.
As high-budget traveling shows evolve into major marketing moments for luxury brands — just last month in Hong Kong, the fashion house transformed Hong Kong into a Chanel city with a full-blown runway show and a two-day cultural program — Chanel got into the entrepreneurial spirit of Hangzhou and launched its first livestreaming program.
From the morning of the show, a series of exclusive livestreamed sessions took over Weibo, hosted by a star-studded lineup including Yibo Wang, Yichun Shan, William Chan and more. In the late afternoon, the livestream shifted to a lakeside chat hosted by Lo?c Prigent, the French fashion journalist. The segments, widely shared on WeChat, Weibo and Douyin, were able to capture the attention of more than 80 million users.
Engaging Chinese customers’ addictive pastime was meant as a way to remain relevant and maintain brand exposure, which is crucial during the luxury slowdown.
“It’s not the first time that we are doing something big in China, but this one is probably the more audacious — we also want to be pertinent, to do something very special for Hangzhou, which is why for the first time, we are doing a livestream before the show,” said Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS.
The Chanel executive, in an ebullient mood, recalled his first time visiting the city during the opening of the Hangzhou Tower store. Opened in 2010, the downtown location remains Chanel’s exclusive retail destination in the city. It is said that the state-owned retail complex has an exclusive deal with the brand in the market, but things might change in a few years when SKP, the mega luxury department store from Beijing, launches in Hangzhou.
Pavlovsky declined all comment on the possibility of a second retail outpost in Hangzhou, but said that discussions have been ongoing. “We feel that we want to go to something else even better for the client. So we are looking at the best solution,” he added.
Pavlovsky stressed that the Hangzhou spectacle was also meant to celebrate the brand’s local supply chain partners.
“We want to say that yes, we are doing good business in China, but also highlight the fact that our amazing products are made with amazing partners here in China,” Pavlovsky explained.
Although Chanel’s fashion products are all manufactured in France and Italy, Pavlovsky disclosed that almost all of the brand’s silk textiles come from Hangzhou. Chanel also sources around half of its cashmere and around one-third of buttery-soft lambskin leather from various vendors across China, according to Pavlovsky.
Chanel — on the heels of revealing its next fashion creative director, which Pavlovsky confirmed will come in mid-December — is determined to perpetuate its style, its legacy, its Chanel-ness, and to making sure it’s not overpowered by that of the designer’s personal agenda. Sources told WWD in mid-November that Bottega Veneta’s Matthieu Blazy has emerged as a top contender for the role.
“From the departure of Virginie Viard, to the first collection of our new designer, it will take probably 16 to 18 months. It will be a long process, a deep process,” said Pavlovsky, without confirming the name.
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