Front Page and Backstage

One of the most iconic fashion Houses, Chanel’s Couture shows became as hotly anticipated as the Superbowl, just with more tulle. And now, Chanel has opened its doors to reveal what happens behind the scenes of some specific Haute Couture runway shows, giving fashion lovers a unique backstage pass through the release of their new book.

Focused on Chanel’s three most recent Haute Couture collections,  contemporary artist Xavier Veilhan comes to the forefront as the artistic collaborator. His imaginative work contributed to the designs of Chanel’s Spring-Summer 2022, Fall-Winter 2022/23, and Spring-Summer 2023 Haute Couture shows, working in tandem with then Creative Director Virginie Viard (who subsequently left the brand earlier this summer). Her predecessor, Karl Lagerfeld, supercharged what a fashion show could be, with mind boggling sets such as a supermarket, an iceberg and a rocket to name but a few. The pairing of Xavier’s art and Virginie’s fashion was the kind of collaboration that could also take us beyond the clothes and into a universe where imaginations could soar. 

Diving into some of the gems you’ll find inside, the Spring-Summer 2022 show put the audience into a space mimicking something between a miniature golf course and an equestrian training course. The models had a sports track runway (maybe more similar to the Superbowl than we thought?) and were surrounded by inflatable sculptures referencing artworks from the 1920s and 30s. Xavier also introduced Charlotte Casiraghi (granddaughter of Grace Kelly no less) on horseback galloping along the catwalk, alluding to the artist’s own universe often using figures of horses.  

In subsequent pages we are taken into the Fall-Winter 2022/23 scene, presented at a riding club in Paris’ Bois de Boulogne, keeping the horse theme alive. And finally, for Spring-Summer 2023 Xavier created sculptures of fantastical animals that loomed over the models in a wonderland animalerie.  

The book takes us on a journey from concept to installations, from initial drawings and inspirations, the details of embroidery, to extracts from the films and photographs of the show sets. These insights are interspersed with interviews with Xavier and share unpublished images, offering an insider’s view of the creative journey. The book opens up a front row seat to discover the relationship between creativity, process and final polished product, and we can’t wait to take our seat.