A Melting Pot

Chanel Metiers D’art 22/23 Collection Which Took Place In Dakar Is More Than Just A Show, But A Three-day Festival With A Creative Cultural Exchange And Dialogue At The Heart Of It

- CAROLINE SUGANDA

When Chanel first announced that its latest Metiers d’Art show was going to take place in Dakar, excitement soared in the fashion world. Since the beginning, every Metiers d’Art collection has been a display of the French brand’s stylistic language through artisanal craftsmanship, as well as an homage to the city hosting the show. In this case it was Dakar, the capital of Senegal, located in sub-Saharan Africa. This was probably one of the most exotic locations the French luxury house has chosen for its Metiers d’Art in recent years, which no doubt made it one of the most eagerly anticipated.

Not super well known on the global stage, Dakar nonetheless holds its own as an influential artistic capital with its own thriving culture and heritage. Its local fashion scene has produced world-renowned brands like Tongoro and Diarrablu while the city itself has been a cultural inspiration to many artists, playing host to the Dakar Biennale for years. However, it was creative director Virginie Viard’s meeting with friends of Chanel who have lived there or had artistic projects done that suggested the idea of Dakar to the artistic director of fashion as a destination for the show.