Chanel Reschedules Métiers D’Art Show

Chanel has rescheduled its Métiers d’Art presentation, because a national strike is set to take place in Paris on the 5th December show day. The 2019-2020 collection will now be staged on 4th December at an undisclosed location in the French capital.

The pre-fall ready-to-wear line, which honours the craftsmanship of Chanel’s artisan collaborators, was introduced by Karl Lagerfeld in 2002. The 2019-2020 collection will be the first Métiers d’Art edit designed exclusively by Virginie Viard, who took the reins when the creative director died in February. Lagerfeld’s last Ancient Egypt-themed Métiers d’Art vision was displayed in Manhattan’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, and he had previously taken the work of Chanel’s illustrious ateliers to Scotland, Dallas, Shanghai and Rome.

Although the Métiers d’Art show enjoyed a pit stop back in Paris when the Ritz hotel reopened in 2016, the decision to stay in the City of Lights follows recent moves made by the brand to strengthen its bond there. In February 2018, Chanel signed on as the exclusive private sponsor of the Grand Palais renovation, and pledged €25 million to the works, which are due to be completed in time for the Paris Summer Olympics in 2024. The current social upheaval in France has caused other brands, including Dior, to move events in the fashion calendar, too.

In September, Chanel began works on its new Métiers d’Art workshops in Aubervilliers, a northern suburb of Paris. The site will house the majority of the 26 specialty ateliers that Chanel oversees, including milliner Maison Michel, cashmere specialist Barrie, feather maker Lemarié and embroiderers Maison Lesage, once it is complete in 2020.