Synergy

CHANEL TRAVELS ALL THE WAY TO DAKAR, SENEGAL TO PRESENT ITS 2022/23 MÉTIERS D'ART SHOW

In a unique, yet anti-mainstream move, CHANEL presented its 2022/23 Métiers d'art show in the heart of the former Palais de Justice in Dakar, Senegal. Held during the latter part of 2022, the event marked the first time CHANEL hosted its fashion show in Africa. Consequently, the Maison is also the first French fashion house to do so in the continent.

Creative Director Virginie Viard entrusted filmmaker Ladj Ly and students from the Kourtrajmé school in Montfermeil and Dakar to produce a documentary series on the CHANEL 2022/23 Métiers d'art show. The four-video series was filmed between the CHANEL Creation studio on rue Cambon in Paris, le19M situated between Paris and the porte d’Aubervilliers, and Dakar.

The first episode reveals the final preparations for the collection in the CHANEL ateliers and the Creation studio, interspersed with images of Dakar, where choreographer Dimitri Chamblas and the dancers from L’École des Sables rehearse under the watchful eye of Viard.

For Viard, the decision to choose Dakar as the destination to present the CHANEL 2022/23 Métiers d'art show was not instant—it had been an ongoing discussion for three years. “I wanted it to happen gently, over several days of deep, respectful dialoguing,” Viard shares.

As it happened, the Métiers d’art show comprised of a three-day cultural event that gathered a diverse group of individuals across different artistic backgrounds—artists, designers, students, art lovers, fashion journalists and editors—all mainly from Dakar and Senegal. In addition to the runway show, CHANEL also hosted a talk in the heart of the Palais de Justice in Dakar, attended by 350 people including key people behind the event and students from fashion, art and design schools in Dakar and Senegal. The culmination of this programme was an exhibition at la Galerie du 19M, porte d'Aubervilliers in Paris.

To ensure that the aim of the programme is achieved, CHANEL has committed to a longterm contribution to society and the local environment beyond the show. In this regard, CHANEL intends to create a positive lasting impact by co-developing and supporting several entrepreneurial initiatives with Senegalese organisations and experts. These will focus on the key areas of transmission of savoir- faire, as well as responsible and regenerative agricultural practices for raw materials and circularity. CHANEL will also contribute to the renovation of the Palais de Justice.

Designed between the CHANEL Creation studio in Paris and le19M, between Paris and the Porte d'Aubervilliers, where eleven of CHANEL’s Maisons d’art are located, the Métiers d'art collection pays tribute to fashion savoir-faire. The beating heart of Viard’s imagi- nation, a 70s spirit traverses the collection. Viard drew inspiration from the unbound energy and jubilant femininity of the “pop-soulfunk-disco-punk” of the 1970s, according to the show notes.

“Real dialogues, nourished over the long term, it’s this human and warm dimension that motivates my work and that I try to re-transcribe,” she says. “I put all my soul into it. These marvellous encounters from which artistic adventures like this one are born—that’s what drives me," Viard explains.

Codes dear to the House are celebrated, even within the floral motifs. The embroidery work, with its clusters of camellias, intertwined pearls, forests of jewelled buttons and dazzling sequins, harmonises with that of the coated, pleated lace in black or white.

In collaboration with Senegalese photographer Malick Bodian and Sierra Leone-born editor Ibrahim Kamara, the campaign sees models Alaato Jazyper and Loli Bahia flaunting the garments near the banks of the River Seine in Paris. Highlights include a floral-embroidered jacket by Montex, a Lesage tweed sweatshirt, and a pleated skirt by Lognon worn with a tweed jacket in shades of green, also embellished with a camellia.

If you are interested in witnessing the unparalleled creativity and craftsmanship of the Maison’s talented artistic partners, you can view the full film of the CHANEL – Dakar 2022/23 Métiers d'art show online, available exclusively on chanel.com.