Virginie Viard presented a sophisticated and urban collection that recalls the importance of French heritage.
One of the biggest and most anticipated fashion shows this year in fashion was CHANEL’s recent Métiers d’Art 2021/22 show. It was held in the futuristic “le19M” building in Paris, designed by the famous architect Rudy Ricciotti. Virginie Viard said about the imagined building, “It is a vast and very open space, with a façade adorned with white concrete threads, a garden, beautiful walkways and a large gallery where exhibitions will also be held.”
The collection aims to celebrate and honour the fine craftsmanship that its artisan partners bring to the house’s collections. Each year, the French luxury house pays tribute to the ateliers (from Mumbai to Hamburg) that embroider, pleat, beat (gold) and more for the brand.
The 2021/2022 presentation surprised us with 59 silhouettes that pay tribute to French fashion in all its aspects. For almost 20 years, it has been highlighting the country’s heritage and its craftsmen, such as Lesage, l’Atelier Montex, Goossens or Maison Michel, highly prestigious houses that watch over quality, handmade fashion, which, in short, pays tribute to its essence.
“I wanted each model, drawn by a different illustrator, to represent one of the art houses and become a little story inspired by a CHANEL icon. My desire was to illustrate each house as well as possible, but in a peculiar way” explained Virginie Viard, the creative director.
Moreover, Virginie Viard said that the collection is “very metropolitan yet sophisticated, with tweed jackets with sweatshirt sleeves, graffiti-style embroidery on colourful beads graffiti-style embroidery on colourful beads from Lesage, voluminous purple or royal blue knitted shorts and casual open coats.”
The futuristic show began with a black dress buttoned to the ankles with two pockets embellished with white plaid and beads at the hip. Next, tweed jackets, matching ensembles, and a myriad of other clothing styles were featured on the runway in black, white, and various colours. The runway show ended with a sequined white shirt and matching pants with a black sash tied at the waist and black crotch pants. Accompanying the final look was a black coat with a white interior that the model wore just over the shoulder.