CHANEL | The Paris-New York 2018/19 Métiers D'art Collection

Some cities are like a home away from home. For both Gabrielle Chanel and Karl Lagerfeld, New York is a point of reference. The city where nothing is impossible.

Traditionally presented in December, outside the official fashion show schedule, the Métiers d’art collection is always based around a destination that is linked to the history or the present moment of CHANEL. As the major inspiration for each collection, Tokyo, New York, Monte Carlo, London, Moscow, Shanghai, Byzance, Bombay, Edinburgh, Dallas, Salzburg, Rome, Paris and Hamburg have, over the past sixteen years, welcomed these designs that combine emotion with creativity, craftsmanship, modernity and technical excellence.

From the Ready-to-Wear silhouettes to the accessories, each Métiers d’art collection is a demonstration of exceptional savoir-faire, at the crossroads of Karl Lagerfeld’s imagination and the artisans’ audacity. “It is made in a very artisanal way in the best sense of the word, because in artisanal, there is art. The art of doing it well. An applied art. And it really is astounding. I think the image of this collection is very much down to this refinement which should be seen close up, almost touched, to understand how it is done and to really appreciate the beauty of this work,” explains Karl Lagerfeld.

Having commenced acquisition of the Métiers d’art in 1985, now united under the emblem of Paraffection *, CHANEL is a pioneer of preservation and the only House to dedicate a Ready-to-Wear collection to this precious savoir-faire that contributes so much to the influence of French luxury and fashion around the world. This runway show highlights a truly creative dialogue. Under the impetus of Karl Lagerfeld and over the collections, the opportunities for new collaborations between artisans endlessly arise. Here new interpretations are imagined, new materials are worked with, and new techniques are invented to enhance the creations. This emulation and these connections make it possible not only to maintain an artistic, technical and cultural heritage, but also to enrich a creative melting pot, in constant effervescence. The Métiers d’art collection naturally forms part of a celebration of virtuosity. It is a declaration of love to those without whom fashion just wouldn’t be the same.