Chanel’s Métier d’Art fashion show has been around for over 20 years in places like Shanghai, Rome, Scotland, Austria, etc. For the first time, the luxurious Fashion brand looked to Africa for its 2023 show.
This is the first time Sub-Saharan Africa has had a fashion show from a prominent brand like Chanel.
The show happened in Dakar, the capital of Senegal, and included the attendance of well-known figures in the entertainment industry like Pharrell Williams and Naomi Campbell. The fashion show featured performances from Obree Daman and CKay.
“Dakar is an influential artistic capital on the international scene, particularly in areas held dear to the house, such as fashion, film, dance, music, literature and contemporary art,” Chanel said in a statement to Pop Sugar. “More than just a show, this event will be part of a three-day cultural program accompanied by concrete action regarding creative dialogue, sustainable development, and the transmission of savoir-faire.”
The ’70s was the overall vibe of the fashion show, with outfits containing everything about the decade, from flared trousers and tunic tops to platform shoes and column knit dresses. The designs had vibrant colors and intricate details with embroideries, materials and fabrics, and sequins.
“So many mixed emotions have gone into that collection,” Williams said to the camera for the documentary series focused on the fashion show and made by French film director Ladj Ly and students of the Kourtrajmè film schools. “Virginie Viard (French fashion designer and Creative Director) has done a really good job synthesizing all those things (music, dance and fashion).”
He continued, “The colors that she chose and the materials that she chose [are] beautiful. This is, without a doubt, Virginie’s greatest work because you feel the energy of her influences, and I feel like it provided the greater canvas for her to paint her ideas and fully express herself as a creator.”
