Photo: Instagram/christellekocher
Chanel has stepped its toes on African soil for the first time ever, showcasing its latest Métiers d’art collection, with a three-day festival highlighting Dakar-based creatives in music, cinema, and art.
Chanel is the first luxury brand with a base in Europe and the United States to present a show in Sub-Saharan Africa, making it the first of its type. Taking the center stage on Tuesday night (December 6), the 2023 Métiers d’art collection tell the tale of artistic interactions during the previous three years and was influenced by the 70s spirit.
The show, which took place on the 6th of December, saw performances from Senegalese artist Obree Daman, Nigerian singer CKay, and models including Anok Yai and Jill Kortleve.
The choice to showcase the collection in Senegal also highlights CHANEL’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. As CHANEL explained, “By choosing Dakar, the House wishes to make the savoir-faire of its Métiers d’Art resonate with the artistic and cultural energy of the city.”
Dakar is a vibrant, cosmopolitan city with a rich history and culture. The city has a long tradition of art and music and is home to many museums and galleries.
The collection, as well as the accompanying collaborations with Senegalese artisans, musicians, writers, dancers, models, and others, took three years to develop, according to CHANEL’s creative director, Virginie Viard. Through 19M, CHANEL’s center for its Métiers d’Art ateliers, several of these collaborations will see the continuing development and cultivation of artisanal ties between Paris and Dakar.
The collection campaign is captured in a series of photographs by Senegalese Malick Bodian and Ivorian Ibrahim Kamara featuring model Alaato Jazyper and Loli Bahia. The 2023 Métiers d’art collection comes in a warm color palette and precise craftsmanship that combine floral designs, multicolored tweeds, geometric forms, sequins, and glittering pendants.
The vibrant details of the collection animate the streets of Paris as Virginie Viard reimagines the house’s distinctive codes: camellias, interlaced pearls, profuse jeweled buttons, and sparkling sequins — in a creative collaboration with the craftsmen of CHANEL’s Maisons d’art.
