As a luxury house that has long loved and maintained a strong presence in Asia, particularly South Korea, Chanel made waves recently when it staged its annual Métiers d’art showcase in Seoul. Long-time fans would know of how it was Karl Lagerfeld himself who appointed K-pop superstar G-Dragon as Chanel’s official brand ambassador in 2016, catapulting him immediately into fashion legend as one of the first Asian male spokesmen for the traditionally womenswear-focused maison. Lagerfeld also personally photographed GD (as he is popularly known) for a commemorative Vogue Korea cover a decade ago.
Storytelling has always been one of fashion’s greatest fortes. At its most basic, clothing is what you put on your back to shield you from the elements — a utilitarian necessity. At the other end of the spectrum, however, is lifestyle at its most luxurious where the pointed tip of the fashion pyramid supplements frocks and baubles with emotion, identity and aspiration. And yet, in a charmingly contrarian twist, the house of Chanel decided to fuse both the grit of the real world and the rarefied air of high fashion in one fabulous collection, bringing to life, yet again, its founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel’s quote of how “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the streets. Fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.”
Of artists + artistry
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