Chanel Just Collaborated With Sofia Coppola In The Most Unique Way
Chanel’s Mademoiselle Privé in Tokyo combines both vintage and modern elements of the brand
Chanel has collaborated with Sofia Coppola in the most unique way. The celebrated American director created a film for the brand, a video collage featuring many of Chanel’s muses, past campaign advertorials, and a snippet from Coco Chanel’s clip talking about the iconic Chanel N°5 perfume. The short film marks the “Mademoiselle Privé” exhibition’s fifth stop: Tokyo, in its tour after being held in London, Seoul, Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Sofia seemed like perfect choice given her affinity to the city of Tokyo (she bagged her Oscar for Lost in Translation, a film set against the bakdrop of Tokyo) and the fact that her association with the brand goes way back. As a teenager, she was given an internship by Karl Lagerfeld himself to work at Chanel’s Creation studio.
Discussing her vision for the film she says, “I did a collage from the Chanel archives, trying to capture the essence of Chanel, what Coco started, and Karl and Virginie have continued, bringing Coco’s modern vision to women today. Chanel embodies chic Parisian style and I tried to incorporate the playfulness Karl always brought to his approach. I loved looking through the footage of so many beautiful collections and the iconic women throughout its history”.
The exhibition’s aesthetic is modelled after Coco’s legendary apartment 31 rue Cambon. It features Haute Couture reinvented for every collection by Karl Lagerfeld and now Virginie Viard, the legendary perfume N°5 that was created in 1921, and High Jewellery with the reedition of “Bijoux de Diamants”: Gabrielle Chanel’s one and only collection designed in 1932.
Featuring a live performance by house ambassador Pharrell Williams and DJ sets by House ambassador and Korean model Soo Joo Park and by Mike Larson, the opening of the exhibition on 17 October was a star-studded affair. Among other A-listers that attended the exhibition’s opening on October 17 were Japanese singer Rina Sawayama, Australian actress Natasha Liu Bordizzo, local ambassadors Nana Komatsu, Ayami Nakajo and Koki, and of course, Sofia herself.