Chanel's Métiers d'art show in Dakar was so much more than just a runway show

For its annual Métier d'art collection, which honours the French maison's exceptional savoir-faire, Chanel headed to Senegal in West Africa. A '70s spirit traverses the collection, the pop-soul-funk-disco-punk decade laying the foundation for artistic director Virginie Viard.

An abundance of organic plant motifs, strong lines and geometric shapes took centre stage, with codes emblematic of Chanel celebrated throughout. The details were evident even within the embroidery work of the floral motifs, with clusters of camellias, intertwined pearls, forests of jewelled buttons and dazzling sequins. When it comes to silhouette, the collection takes shaep with long, fitted coats, flared trousers, platform shoes, surprisingly colourful tweeds and collars true to the '70s. And of course, Danish model Mona Tougaard - arguably a modern Chanel muse in her own right – closed the show.

More than a runway, this year's Métier d'art showcase was three-day programme hosting a range a guest list ranging artists, designers, cultural figures, students, journalists and fashion editors. “Going beyond the runway show, it’s the event as a whole that I took into account. We've been thinking about it for three years. I wanted it to happen gently, over several days of deep, respectful dialoguing,” Viard explains. “Real dialogues, nourished over the long term, it is this human and warm dimension that motivates my work and that I try to re-transcribe."

Ever since she stepped in to helm the French maison in 2019, Viard's modus operandi has remained the same: meeting, dreaming, and collaboratively building together. "I put all my soul into it. These marvellous encounters from which artistic adventures like this one are born, that's what drives me," the artistic director concludes.

“Whilst working on the conception of this show with Virginie Viard and her team, we all agreed since the beginning that time creates value. Prolonged time, repetition, it creates truth. It’s the opposite of a one-shot. It was an idea of a long-term engagement," says internationally acclaimed dancer and choreographer Dimitri Chamblas. "Chanel is a big house, but my relationship with them is one between creators, it's a relationship of ideas with Virginie. It is about desire, research and encounters."

When the public arrived at the show, the first thing they saw were the dancers. Over the five months leading up to the show, Chamblas visited Senegal's capital, Dakar, multiple times. "It was about establishing trust, to laugh, to be serious, and to create a real relationship with the 55 dancers from L’École des Sables that I worked with." Working with a mix of professionals and amateurs spanning generations, all part of L’École des Sables community, their rhythmic movements inside the former Palais de Justice and to the musical tones of singer Obree Daman, the performance set the tone for the event. “The former Palais de Justice in Dakar, where not only the runway show but also a major part of the accompanying artistic programme are taking place, is one of the most beautiful venues we have ever presented a collection in," says Viard. "It was an obvious choice, and has been a source of inspiration as well.”

“I first encountered Chanel through Amandine (de la Richardière) who helped curate the musical programming with Virginie Viard," says Daman. For his performance before the Métiers d’art show, he chose to collaborate with the Angel Voice choir. "The song that I sang called Africa Salam tells the story of the journey of humanity, and how Africa is the birthplace of humanity." Daman points to how Chanel's show itself is Africa Salam, a return to the roots. "All the different artists are united in Africa, in Senegal, so this is Africa Salam," he says. "The return of a great artistic community coming together here, and me saying Welcome to Africa."

The exchange of ideas between Paris and Dakar is longstanding. "I’m 78 and I have a constant dialogue with the youth of today. Education is the root of creativity. If we are not educated, we cannot create," says Germaine Acogny, the founder of L’École des Sables. Considered the mother of Contemporary African Dance, she has been influencing the art form in Africa since 1968, "Today I have absolutely no shame in saying that it’s also young people who educate me," she says. "I think it is important that it goes both ways. If you don’t know your roots, how can you grow?" And Acogny sees the roots of Chanel in Viard. "Virginie is the first woman to be named Artistic Director at the head of Chanel after Gabrielle Chanel. And I find that the spirit of ‘Coco’ is there in her, as the dead don’t die, they are just in the wind."

"Chanel, coming to Dakar, shines a light on the Senegalese people because they include artisans and dancers, and we are all working together towards the future. It’s a collaboration and an exchange.”

The day after Chanel's 2022/23 Métiers d'art show, the House organised a talk in the heart of the former Palais de Justice in Dakar. Three hundred and fifty people were present, including a majority of students from fashion, art, design and management schools located in Dakar and Senegal. Moderated by Emma Nelson, this discussion brought together Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Chanel Fashion activities, the House ambassador Pharrell Williams and some of the artists who collaborated with Virginie Viard on the artistic programme surrounding the show: Dimitri Chamblas, Germaine Acogny, Mamy Tall and Nix.

Perhaps Pavlovsky summarised the heart of Chanel's Dakar show best, saying "It is first and foremost a story of encounters and it is through the artists who have already contributed and those who will be contributing, that we succeeded in forming this idea of what the presentation of this collection in Dakar could be."

Below, see Chanel's full Métiers d'art collection: