Hangzhou Nocturne

Chanel’s 2024/25 Métiers d’art collection in Hangzhou pays homage to Gabrielle Chanel’s imagined visions of West Lake, transforming her romantic fantasy of China into reality

- Ahy Choi

Through the misty haze of Hangzhou, guests sat in black cars en route to Chanel’s 2024/25 Métiers d’art show, contemplating what theatrical surprise the French luxury house would unveil—as it does each year with the roving collection. Though the venue is accessible by road, the journey included a mandatory detour: guests stopped at a pier, where they were served the region’s famed Longjing tea before boarding ferries that crossed the city’s West Lake, a Unesco World Heritage Site, at a leisurely pace. As dusk descended over the undulating hills around the lake, the scene transformed into a living ink painting, with guests becoming part of the tableau.

It was the perfect prologue to the collection, allowing guests to step into Gabrielle Chanel’s imagination as she sat in her Rue Cambon apartment in Paris, gazing at her beloved Coromandel screen that depicted West Lake’s ethereal landscape—a scene that would ultimately inspire this latest collection.

Fashion enthusiasts will recognise the significance of this full-circle moment. The Métiers d’art collection, a celebration of the expertise and innovation of Chanel’s 11 artisan workshops, has become an annual pilgrimage that bridges the maison’s storied past and its creative future. It’s the most anticipated show of the year, where industry insiders and the house’s most important customers are transported to exotic destinations to witness Chanel’s masterful blending of French heritage with different cultures, igniting fresh perspectives and creativity.