Fashionable ladies of the lake

In an apartment at 31 Rue Cambon in Paris, Gabrielle Chanel decorated her walls with coromandel, Chinese lacquer screens made of ebony wood. One screen on the study's wall depicts the beautiful scenery of West Lake in Hangzhou, East China's Zhejiang province.

Though Chanel did not have the opportunity to visit Hangzhou, more than 100 years later her models strolled the catwalk on the glorious, shimmering West Lake.

On the evening of Dec 3, the French fashion house presented its 2024/25 Metiers d'art collection, featuring dresses designed with subtle Chinese elements, such as floral and bird patterns, and the lotus flowers of West Lake.

The fluidity of water is reflected in velvet reworked with Chanel's signature camellias; delicate pleats evoke the folds of traditional Chinese fans. Materials like silk and lacquer-inspired textures nod to the city's role as a crossroads of tradition and innovation.

Over 1,000 guests attended the show, with about 600 from China, including 100 from Hangzhou, and 400 from other parts of the world. The event commenced with a Chinese drum performance. Notable personalities such as German director Wim Wenders, British actress Tilda Swinton, and Chinese actresses Zhou Xun and Xin Zhilei, among others, arrived at the runway on the lake by traditional boats crossing the West Lake.

Chanel enlisted Wenders in May to direct a film featuring the actresses.

"Traveling to Hangzhou revealed that one of Chanel's Chinese lacquer screens was a huge map, a replica of the city, especially its most famous attraction — the West Lake area — with hundreds of little bridges and paths zigzagging a big body of water, a vast nature reserve full of wildlife and the richest variety of plants and trees," says the director.

"It is a real maze, and you can easily lose yourself in it and on it. I love maps and discovering landscapes, so I wrote a story about this enigmatic place and the secret link it has with Paris. I love treating cities and landscapes as active participants in a story. You may realize how many of my films carry their places in the titles. Places have great storytelling power. I tried to listen to Hangzhou and the West Lake for their input."

Swinton says Chinese lacquer screens serve as an ancient cinema screen of awe-inspiring detail and atmosphere.

"I think how the residents of the city take such active pride in their environment struck me particularly. When we went to shoot on the lake at 8 on Sunday morning, there were already many boats on the water, people looking not unlike their ancestors depicted in Chanel's Chinese lacquer screens, steering their craft in and out of the water lilies, underneath the willow trees."

Embracing heritage

Since 2002, the annual Chanel Metiers d'art collection celebrates the virtuoso hands of fashion and craft heritage and its worldwide influence. Presented in cities that inspire the house, from New York to Dakar, from Manchester in 2023 to Hangzhou this year, the collections are a dialogue between the Chanel Creation Studio, ready-to-wear ateliers and the Maisons d'art at le19M. This is where the brand brings together more than 700 artisans specializing in embroidery, goldsmithing, jewelry, feather-work, hats and shoemaking.

This summer, artisans from several le19M workshops visited Hangzhou for inspiration and worked with local artisans. One was Christelle Kocher, artistic director of Lemarie, the workshop founded in 1880 that has hand-assembled Chanel's emblematic camellia petal-by-petal since the 1960s.

"From Paris to Hangzhou, it's about merging Chanel's heritage with the essence of the host city. For this collection, we started with the coromandel screens. The artistry, with its intricate depictions of birds, flowers and nature, immediately captivated me. We explored motifs, materials and techniques that reflect Chanel's codes and the rich cultural identity of the region. It's a blend of research and collaboration with artisans and a modern reinterpretation of tradition," says Kocher.

"I once spent two months with artisans from the Dong and Miao ethnic groups in Southwest China's Yunnan province in 2002, immersing myself in their unique craftsmanship and traditions. Hangzhou feels like a continuation of that journey but with its own distinct blend of history and modernity.

"Seeing Hangzhou embrace its heritage while remaining innovative reminded me of the importance of preserving artisan techniques. It's not just about looking back but about re-imagining these crafts for contemporary clients. The city's harmony between nature and urban life also inspired me to think more holistically about design — how clothing, like art, can transport and transform us."

Kocher's Chinese colleague Max Luo Zijun demonstrated the craftsmanship and showed his work in a jumpsuit. The 31-year-old Chengdu-born designer joined Lemarie in 2016 after he graduated from Central Saint Martins in London, engaging in Chanel's Metiers d'art collections.

"It's happy to join this collection for Hangzhou. It's easier when the inspiration comes from my home culture, blending with Chinese aesthetics," says Luo.

The choice of Hangzhou for the show was not only because of the coromandel of West Lake but also because the city is well-known for its silk.

Chanel regarded this precious fabric as a treasure. Over the past 80 years, raw materials to make silk fabrics for Chanel have almost all come from China.

Challenges ahead

As for Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel Fashion and president of Chanel SAS, the brand not only chooses Hangzhou but also China.

Its last major show in China was in 2009 with Karl Lagerfeld, Pavlovsky says, adding that they had planned something special for China before COVID-19.

"We want to find a specific way to come back, different from what we have done before, opening boutiques," says Pavlovsky who has visited the city four times since the first time the brand opened a boutique in Hangzhou in 2009.

"Hangzhou is a city mixing tradition and modernity with Alibaba and Tmall. Combined with the local traditions of silk and lacquer, it's a place where craftsmanship meets storytelling."

The preservation of these age-old techniques handed down through generations contrasts with the seamless experience one encounters during meetings at a hotel, much like in any other Western city, he adds.

He says the collection inspired by Hangzhou is a shining collection everywhere, for every customer, and it brings a part of China to the rest of the world.

Pavlovsky describes Chinese clients as "entrepreneurs, not housewives" who spend money in boutiques and wear designer, well-crafted dresses like models, and make choices for themselves.

He says Chinese clients are no different from anywhere else. "Women are more independent, from housewives to modern women, working for themselves and spending their money."

As for the slowing economy, he says: "It's not only Chanel that is affected. We have to be realistic and deal with it."

But he is still positive about Chanel's performance, saying the brand has experienced double-digit growth worldwide in the past three years, which means new customers.

While referencing Alibaba and Tmall, Pavlovsky says Chanel connects people on social media but does not sell online, "because Chanel's value is more than just a click".

"We don't do e-commerce, except for fragrance and beauty. We could, but we don't want to. We are not trying to sell more. We are trying to sell better, which means that we want to have a strong relationship with our clients, and that means the boutique. It's by choice. It's not about (online platform) challenges," he says.

"In Hangzhou, I see people coming to our boutique, which gives us more energy. It is quite important to always focus on how to offer the best experience for our clients, advising while they are shopping."

He says that in the showroom, clients are invited to see the collection up close, to touch and feel the items and to experience the craftsmanship.

"We will continue to develop our business step by step, not in a hurry, not trying to go fast," he says, adding that it is important to consistently provide the finest service, engagement and brand timing to the clientele.

Yu Xiaoou contributed to this story.