Chanel Brings Back Its Cult Surfboards For A Yacht Club That’s Instagram Catnip

To the C-side with Chanel! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of the brand’s J12 watch, which was originally inspired by J-Class racing yachts, Chanel has created its own yacht club on Shelter Island. Naturally, there are customised Chanel umbrellas, drinks coolers, buoys, badminton and ping-pong sets, and surfboards to cater to all holidaymakers and social-media fiends. “The J12 Yacht Club reflects a modern-day interpretation of a yacht club, as only Chanel could imagine it,” according to the brand. Translation: it’s as Chanel as Chanel gets.

The French house has had a sideline in logo-ed sports gear, including skis and tennis racquets, for years. Remember the Baz Luhrmann-directed Chanel No. 5 campaign starring a wetsuit-clad Gisele Bündchen and a surfboard bearing interlocking Cs? The dichotomy of a brand celebrated for its elegance quite literally saying “surf’s up!” went viral during a time when Instagram wasn’t quite so prominent.

Fast forward from the 2014 ads to 2019 (with pit stops for coastal-inspired shows for Cruise 2018 and spring/summer 2019), and pictures of the J12 Yacht Club have been flooding our feeds. Camila Morrone and Poppy Delevingne arrived by Riva yachts laden with rosé for the opening night, which saw Billie Eilish – fashion’s current favourite music artist – perform.

Awaiting Chanel fans who manage to board the luxury ferries to the pop-up within the Sunset Beach complex run by real estate mogul André Balazs (the man behind Chiltern Firehouse and The Standard) is a boutique stacked with J12 watches. For those land-bound, there’s the hashtag #j12yachtclub to follow for an envy-inducing Chanel merch overload. Happy holidays!