The story behind Chanel’s annual Métiers d’Art show

Just 2 week after the official international launch of Chanel’s Dubai inspired cruise collection the brand is going to present its Métiers d’Art Paris Salzburg show next Tuesday, Dec 2nd. One day in advance the full version of the accompanying short film “Reincarnation” starring Cara Delevingne and Pharrell Williams will debut on chanel.com. So for all Chanel devotees a big week is laying ahead of us. Honestly within the past 20 years fashion show schedules got more and more complex and confusing. Initially there was a summer and a winter collection. Now its a summer and a winter collection, a pre-fall and a cruise with more basic pieces plus several capsule collection – “a seasonless cycle” as Anna Wintour calls it. But what is Métiers d’Art – the equivalent to other brands more basic pre-fall collections?

Métiers d'Art Paris Salzburg

Since 2002 Chanel shows its Métiers d’Art collection every year at the beginning of December. They already traveled around the world with collations including 2007 Chanel Paris Monte-Carlo, 2008 Chanel Paris London, 2009 Chanel Paris Moscow, 2010 Paris Shanghai, 2011 Paris-Byzance staged at 31 rue Cambon, 2012 Paris Bombay, 2013 Paris Edinburgh, 2014 Paris Dallas, pic style.com

Hard to believe when you flip through the pictures from the previous 12 Métiers d’Art shows. Designs are incredibly rich and artful making them perfect evening wear. In fact Métiers d’Art, which translates as “arts and crafts”, is one of the 6 ready to wear collections Chanel shows every year. The first Métiers d’Art collection had been presented in 2002.

With the rapidly increasing demand of luxury goods as well as increasing wages in Europe luxury fashion companies felt the need to outsource parts of their production into new markets at that time. As production usually is one of the most well kept secrets within the industry its hard to obtain informations on where things are made. But several brands like Prada and Armani already openly confirmed that they do produce in countries such as China. Good or bad – might be a question of personal perception, however, Chanel chose to go in the opposite direction.

Chanel spring 2015

The Maison Michel pop up store opened in Dec 2013 selling the iconic hats including Henrietta and Virginie its still there. And I guess its going to transform from a pop up into a permanent store, pic http://instagram.com/styleclosup

They bought a considerable number of European production facilities or ateliers specialized in traditional techniques, such as millinery (Maison Michel), boot making (Massaro), embroidery (Montex) and formed a subsidiary called Paraffection for them in 2002. Chanel allowed the ateliers to remain independent and work for other companies as well. They started to promote the skills of these craftsmen with a ready to wear show once a year. This was the year of birth of Métiers d’Art.

chanel spring 2015

Chanel’s boot maker Massaro was the third atelier of the brand to open a pop up store in rue Cambon. pic http://instagram.com/styleclosup

Taking advantage of a certain tiredness of big global brand among customers worldwide Chanel moved on in 2013. It had strengthened some of its production ateliers enough to allow them to make free standing collections under their own name. They purchased real estate around Rue Cambon and in December 2013 Maison Michel opened its pop up shop on rue Cambon a few doors away from the Chanel headquarters. At the beginning of 2014 Massaro and Barrie knitwear pop up shops followed in the region!

Chanel spring 2015

Barrie, Chanel’s famed Scottish cashmere producer, opened a pop up store on rue Saint-Honoré just a stone throw away from the Chanel flagship earlier this year, pic http://instagram.com/styleclosup

In times of luxury industry being in a difficult situation partially due to overcommercialization within the last 20 years I personally consider the story of Pareffection, the Chanel ateliers as well as the Métiers d’Art show as an almost fairytale like story that can’t be told often enough.

What’s your opinion? Are you looking forward to Métiers d’Art Paris Salzburg?

2 thoughts on “The story behind Chanel’s annual Métiers d’Art show

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