Models marched in donning exquisitely crafted Chanel ready-to-wear outfits that celebrate the brand's exceptional savoir faire (All photos: Chanel)
As we pulled up to Tokyo Big Sight, the largest international convention centre in the metropolis, we spotted fans clutching banners and their phones, excitedly awaiting the arrival of their idols who would be gracing the big Chanel event that night.
There was bumper-to-bumper traffic leading to the drop-off point and the anticipation was rising. Upon entry, we marched past a few poseurs and those watching long enough would have realised they were, in fact, dancers moving gingerly to the long-drawn beats accompanying the performance.
It was a new interpretation of Slow Show by choreographer Dimitri Chamblas, performed by dancers from Tokyo’s Tama University of Fine Arts, Senzoku Gakuen College of Music, Japan Women’s College of Physical Education and other universities.
The languid show is rooted in the principles of trance, exultation, telepathy and unconscious memories, where the dance’s strength is revealed through movements slowed to the extreme, almost imperceptible, almost invisible. Right off the bat, we knew this would be an evening we would remember for a long, long time.
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It’s showtime
As the lights dimmed to signal that the show was about to start, an expectant hush descended over the hall. Japanese guitar sensation Ichika Nito dutifully set the scene for the show with his soulful strumming of Japanese music legend Ryūichi Sakamoto’s deeply intense Merry Christmas, Mr Lawrence, accompanied by violin and piano. He also performed his track The World is Still Beautiful before he was joined by Senegalese rapper Nix and Chamblas’ troupe.
“The show, when it was created in Dakar, was a lot about [being a] meeting [point of] different arts and practices. What we have been doing here is the same. You’ve been seeing dance, music, fashion and now you’re going to party. It’s a combination of different arts and collaborations. The spirit of Dakar came with us, we had it in our soul and body and we brought it here,” said Chamblas when he spoke to Options after the show.
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“Chanel and [its creative director Virginie] Viard are very inspiring. They are great in assembling and putting together people and culture that don’t usually share the same space. She articulates how to bring different bodies of work, persons, arts, aesthetics together and I love that,” he added.
With Nito’s final notes still lingering in the air and the audience’s vigour yet to decline, the melody picked up tempo and one by one, the models marched in donning exquisitely crafted Chanel ready-to-wear outfits that celebrate the exceptional savoir faire of costume jewellery and button maker Desrues, feathers and flowers maker Lemarié, hat maker Maison Michel, shoemaker Massaro, embroiderers Lesage and Montex, and glove maker Causse.
Replica show
The Chanel—Dakar 2022/23 Métiers d’art collection was unveiled in Senegal last December. It was the first luxury event of its kind to ever take place in sub-Saharan Africa and one that had been in the works for years.
“Going beyond the runway show, it’s the event as a whole that I took into account. We’ve been thinking about it for three years. I wanted it to happen gently, over several days of deep, respectful dialoguing,” Viard said after the Dakar show.
It is a universal story about bridging style and arts, the past and present, and Senegal and France. It is also a reaffirmation that true luxury is handmade.
The Tokyo show was exactly as Viard had envisioned. She desired to celebrate the artistic scene of Dakar and the disciplines that she is so fond of. Her vision has been the same from day one: to advocate meeting, dreaming and building together with others.
Up close + personal
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If you are looking for pomp and pageantry, you will not find it in Viard’s fashion portfolio. She is the epitome of effortless cool and it extends to her laidback oeuvre. The Métiers d’art show was an encapsulation of everything she stands for with colours, motifs and silhouettes of the 1970s.
Plant motifs, geometric shapes, intricate embroideries and sparkling sequins were abundant, as were the long coats, flared trousers, seventies collars, platform shoes (a definite must-have in your wardrobe), embellished sweatshirts and high-low dresses. The collection embodies the distinct Senegalese aesthetic, which is expressive and vibrant while remaining true to the codes of the House.
In an exclusive interview with Options, K-drama star and Chanel beauty ambassador Park Seo-joon shared how he loved the vibrant and colourful looks from the show. “The flared jeans and pants were my favourite pieces from this collection. This Tokyo trip marks the second time I’m attending the Chanel show, and each time is very special, fun and memorable. I look forward to what may come next,” he said.
In much the same vein, actress and house ambassador Nana Komatsu expressed her excitement about attending the fashion show in her home country. “I felt a sense of Japaneseness and energy from the inside, which made me want to dance. The mellow atmosphere made the collection even more wonderful. It was really amazing!”
Other stars in attendance included actress and Lagerfeld’s handpicked muse Kristen Stewart, Chinese actor Yibo Wang, French model Caroline de Maigret and Japanese actress and model Fumi Nikaido.
First conceived by the late fashion great Lagerfeld in 2002 to celebrate the ateliers of the House, the carefully crafted Métiers d’art collection has been presented in different locations all over the world, such as New York, Monte Carlo, London, Moscow, Shanghai, Byzance, Mumbai and Edinburgh. In fact, the house’s first collection in tribute to a particular city took place in December 2004, at Tokyo’s Chanel building in Ginza.
After-party
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Leave it to Chanel to throw an after-party to remember and what truly set the scene was the mesmerising stage backdrop of Sailor Moon. The crowd just loved it. First up, Japanese group Chai held court with their brazen and fervently charged performance, which totally redefined kawaii (“cuteness” in Japanese). Nix and Nito naturally connected with the audience and the energy overall was simply unwavering.
Singer and Chanel ambassador Jennie Kim of the Blackpink K-pop girl band phenomenon casually waltzed in on stage and surprised everyone with three songs! She sang a medley of Fly Me to the Moon and Killing Me Softly, and her unreleased solo You & Me. French electronic music duo Polo & Pan kept the crowd going well into the night with their cool beats, flowing seamlessly from song to song without missing a beat.
The following day, about 350 students from fashion, art, design and management schools in Tokyo were invited to a talk with Chanel president of fashion Bruno Pavlovsky as well as ambassadors and friends of the house.
This harks back to what Viard had mentioned after the first 2022/23 Métiers d’art show: “Real dialogues, nourished over the long term, it is this human and warm dimension that motivates my work and that I try to re-transcribe. I put all my soul into it. These marvellous encounters from which artistic adventures like this one are born, that’s what drives me.”
This article first appeared on June 19, 2023 in The Edge Malaysia.
