What Cultural Lessons Can Chanel’s Hangzhou Show Teach Us About Branding?

Chanel’s Hangzhou Show not only displayed the creativity, influence, and purchasing power of a luxury brand, but it also offered valuable insights for the industry on building brand cultural strength, which should be carefully considered.

 

After 15 years, Chanel returned to China, hosting its 2024/25 Metiers d'art collection show in Hangzhou on December 3. This city became the third Asian city, following Tokyo and Shanghai, to host the global debut of the Chanel Metiers d'art collection. The show showcased Hangzhou’s beauty and prosperity to audiences worldwide.

 

Chanel has twice chosen the economically strong Yangtze River Delta region from the Bund in Shanghai to West Lake in Hangzhou. For Chanel, this region’s economic power and its potential for consumption are crucial areas to focus on, especially given the current global economic climate. It also signals Chanel’s growing commitment to the Chinese market.

 

But from a cultural standpoint, if the show 15 years ago was a tribute to modern Chinese culture, this Hangzhou show represents Chanel fulfilling its founder Gabrielle Chanel’s “Chinese fantasy” that she never fully realized. While telling the brand’s heritage story again, it also formed an emotional connection with the Chinese market.

 

Those familiar with the brand’s history will recognize the story: although Gabrielle Chanel never visited Hangzhou, she had a large Coromandel screen depicting West Lake in her private study at 31 Rue Cambon. This screen was one of her main inspirations for imagining the East and drawing on Eastern aesthetics. As a result, the screen became a key source of design inspiration for the collection and a starting point for linking the brand to Hangzhou’s cultural identity.

 

 

The story of the screen, after a century, turned into a runway stretching across West Lake, offering an extravagant setting for Chanel’s grand debut. Using West Lake’s natural beauty as the backdrop was enough to take people’s breath away.

 

With the steady beat of drums, supermodel Liu Wen opened the show in a long coat embroidered by Montex, setting the tone for the night.

 

 

Although Chanel maintained its timeless style, the fusion of Eastern and Western aesthetics reached new heights in the details.

 

The patterns from the ebony lacquer screen were transferred to classic tweed jackets using the atelier’s embroidery techniques. The brand’s signature camellia was combined with the lotus flowers of West Lake, appearing in pleated dresses and suits, evoking the famous “Curved Yard and Lotus Pool” view.

 

The pink and sky-blue hues in the tweed suits reflected both the screen’s enduring sheen and the ripples on West Lake’s surface, while the golden lace gown echoed the gold paint used to depict the scenery.

 

The medals and cuff bracelets were inspired by floral and fruit motifs found on ceramics, also referencing the auspicious symbolism of Chinese Prunus plants.

 

 

Hangzhou’s evening mist added a sense of elegance to the show, which, from the individual pieces to the overall production, demonstrated what a Metiers d'art collection show should truly look like.

 

The next day, the brand continued to introduce the “unsung heroes” behind the collection—the Maisons d’art ateliers that contributed to the designs.

 

Montex Embroidery created pieces that shimmered with light, giving a soft, smooth feel when touched. Lesage Embroidery, responsible for Chanel’s signature camellia, made new lotus flower embroideries inspired by the screen and West Lake. Lemarié wove feathers into the designs, Lognon created intricate pleats and lotus-edge details, and Massaro designed the mid-calf boots favored by Gabrielle Chanel. Maison Michel completed the looks with hats, scarves, and cold-weather accessories.

 

This presentation not only revealed the craftsmanship but also demonstrated the value of Chanel’s Metiers d'art collection.

 

In 2002, Chanel began showcasing its Metiers d'art collection annually, highlighting the fine craftsmanship of its ateliers and demonstrating the brand’s dedication to haute couture and traditional fashion techniques. Since 1985, Chanel has been acquiring top French ateliers and managing dozens of workshops through its Paraffection subsidiary, employing over 6,000 artisans.

 

In 2019, Chanel built le19M, a 25,500-square-meter atelier headquarters in Paris, bringing together workshops such as Montex, Lesage, Goossens, and Lemarié. This centralization has improved creative communication and underscores Chanel’s long-term commitment to preserving traditional crafts.

 

 

Clearly, the relationship between Chanel and its ateliers is more than just a vendor-client dynamic; it’s a partnership built on collaboration and mutual growth, ensuring the continuation of France’s craft traditions and enriching the brand’s cultural identity.

 

Chanel is known for its investments in brand culture.

 

Beyond showcasing its ateliers’ craftsmanship, Chanel’s Metiers d'art collection has focused on connecting with the cultures of different cities. Since Karl Lagerfeld brought the Metiers d'art collection to Tokyo in 2004, it has traveled to cities like New York, Rome, Moscow, London, Milan, and Shanghai. Each city is not only linked to Chanel’s history but also serves as a venue for exchanging global craft traditions.

 

In Hangzhou, for example, the city’s legacy as a silk center wasn’t just reflected in the screen’s influence but also in the meaningful cultural exchange through the atelier’s work. The embroidery workshops created new lotus flower designs, and West Lake’s scenic boating inspired innovation in yarn techniques, all tied into Chanel’s classic designs.

 

 

By preserving and innovating these crafts, Chanel has created a healthy cycle of cultural preservation. While many luxury brands emphasize craftsmanship, Chanel’s approach stands out by merging timeless techniques with diverse cultures, ensuring traditional crafts stay vibrant and recognized in the market.

 

In recent years, Chanel has also deepened its engagement in cultural and market exchanges, launching podcasts and supporting films and contemporary art. The brand’s role as an organizer and promoter extends beyond just craftsmanship to cultural fields at large.

 

For example, the Chanel Culture Fund launched in 2021 supported a series of arts programs, including the first Chanel Next Prize, which awarded 10 innovators across film, design, music, and more.

 

 

In China, the Chanel Culture Fund worked with the MoCA Shanghai on the “Next Cultural Producer” program, focusing on traditional Chinese crafts. Chanel has also supported young filmmakers through its partnerships with the FIRST International Film Festival and the Chinese Film Directors Guild.

 

By connecting diverse cultural fields and markets, Chanel is systematically enhancing its brand image and strengthening its cultural value. This has given the brand resilience in the luxury market, explaining why it continues to thrive despite changing trends.

 

This operational logic—relying on unique craftsmanship, iconic products, grand shows, and long-term cultural investments—ensures Chanel can maintain its core customer base. This group values the brand’s cultural identity and product uniqueness over trend-driven consumption, and shields it from the risks tied to seasonal changes, allowing for steady, long-term profits.

 

In China, Chanel’s Metiers d'art collection show in Hangzhou, alongside the ongoing cultural exchanges, has become a successful example of localized brand marketing. It demonstrates Chanel’s respect for both craftsmanship and local culture.

 

Looking at Chanel’s work from the grand show to its engagement with craftsmanship and local culture raises an important question: Why hasn’t a Chinese brand emerged with the same willingness and capability to invest deeply in national craftsmanship and culture, as Chanel has done?

 

Compared to France, China’s heritage in clothing and craftsmanship is even more impressive. However, most Chinese brands still treat traditional crafts as a marketing gimmick, lacking a deeper understanding and ongoing commitment to them. This makes it difficult for these crafts to be revitalized in the modern context.

 

In this context, ConCall is eager to see Chinese companies take a long-term approach, deeply embedding themselves in China’s rich cultural heritage and forming lasting, meaningful partnerships with traditional craftsmanship and culture. By consistently exploring and investing in these skills—each with its historical and artistic significance—they can revitalize these techniques, giving brands a deeper cultural identity. This will, in turn, provide Chinese brands with a distinctive and strong cultural foundation on the global stage.