PRESENTS

The Perfection Myth Japanís kaiseki revolution ï Fashion does the right thing ï The new mind- set for success Plus The Next Beauty and Wellness Pioneers

FALL 2019

A SPECIAL EDITION OF ROBB REPORT

G2G_Muse_04_Cover.indd 1 8/29/19 11:33 AM Keeping Luxury Al ive ó and Relevant

000 MUSE SPRING 2018

G2G_Muse_04_Feat_Chanel.indd 38 8/29/19 3:07 PM Keeping Luxury Al ive ó and Relevant

Chanel, Franceí s eminent fashion house is banking on old- world crafsmanship for its future. BY JILL NEWMAN

In the small French town of Pau near the Pyrenees, inside a sprawling workshop with foor-t o-c eiling windows overlookingI green meadows, a weaver threads spools of endless yarn in an enormous loom. The strands are strung chaotically and every which way, yet the intently focused artisan keeps track of each slender flament as ití s pulled through the machineí s many stations. The pro- cess, called warping, has been done the same way for centuries. Ití s a tedious undertaking that will require four, maybe fve, days of labor; only then SAILLANT

O. will she begin weaving the fabrics. : ) Today, sheí s warping numerous strands for a

IMAGE tweed fabricó and not just any tweed: This one is woven with a thread of minuscule sequins that RIGHT ( refect the light, creating a slightly efervescent textile. This and Chanelí s other famous tweedsó which the brand uses for its signature jackets, handbags and elegant Peter Marinoñ designed

EMMANUEL FRADIN; EMMANUEL furnishingsó are made here. BY The workshop, called ACT3, was established 23 years ago by weaving expert Maria Messner, a native of Salzburg, Austria, who moved to Pau

PHOTOGRAPHY for its reputation as a textile hub. From the start, : ) she had no intention of making traditional cloth;

IMAGE instead, she experimented with new materials LEFT

( and unconventional combinations of wool, tulle,

Left: An artisan weaves golden tweed fabrics for the pre-fall MÈ tiers díArt collection presented at the ROBBREPORT.COM/ MUSE Metropolitan Museum of Art.

G2G_Muse_04_Feat_Chanel.indd 39 8/29/19 3:07 PM 2_ue0_etCae.nd40 G2G_Muse_04_Feat_Chanel.indd 40 craf or ìf Paraf ing even allow- their production ormanagementó yet pliers, in1985, suppliers ain andthough herbusiness cationó one jobó was Hers Lacroix. Dior andChristian to leather andmore. She WHY WENEEDCHANEL want to aim was ufacturing. strateg partly big would sustainit.So, she When we craf oldartisan age- andultimately save productsspecialty thriveó younger setof the resourcesto mightworkshops nothave thatotherwise of future owned business, which brought in the family- we hassystematicallythat Chanel acquired or more Iís behind theirproducts. Ití theheritagethey must andartisanship support potential nmróourpurchases needto anymoreó sky, ìI recently,said ì will lose thevalue, of thisemotionalthe future, value very theluxurymarket.Ifyou theParisianhouses,including fashion Chanel, tend to themto Today, ACT3 such high- fashion altruism bethe altruism fashion suchhigh- Could hnl spresidentof Chanelí worried about how thelove who strongly We inatChanel. to est client,Chanel, s. In most than subsidiary (the name translates ection subsidiary funded build anaudience among a thatí s rooted in small- scale artisan man- artisan scale srooted insmall- thatí to also oversees the Parafection to thinkof that required skill, passion thatrequiredskill, anddedi- luxurygoods? Indeed,ifbigbrands thebrandopted notto imagine grand- scale production, scale but imagine grand-

f $11 It create for oî) ofî be than more mere status symboló support thesmall artisan nancially support MUSE started investing started initscoreartisan Chanel acquired cases, to billion in sales last year, last sales in billion has cnues h e ahoís who seefashioní consumersó to believe moreandthat,in survive. of 27 isoneof ensure that the sourcesfor theFrench global powerhouse, adtaíssomething we andthatí perpetuate andpreserve these and in 1997 itestablished its andin1997

four years ago, FALL s peddledhercreative cloths from potential from extinction. other fashion houses.The otherfashion she Weaving MariaMess- expert invest.

fashion, BrunoPavlov- ner isthemastermind who notenough Chanelís fanciful produces Chanelís 2019 andher23 lose theemotion, you artisan workshops artisan custom tweed fabrics. needto willbethesuccess dogood, too. interfere with was she to alaborious keepthat.î new, employees these sup- asked her lookgood thriving, division, believe o had f its to en a

So whyadorn yourself now, ular momentintime?Female empow- erment, for women are starters. With thisinmind, turningto designer. at thispartic-

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GUTTER CREDITS ì IF YOU LOSE THE EMOTION, YOU WILL LOSE THE VALUE, AND THATí S SOMETHING WE BELIEVE VERY STRONGLY IN AT CHANEL.î

AVLOVSKY ISNí T ALONE. The of Artí s Temple of Dendur, was a high point for the movement to support the many series.) Next year, in Parisian suburb Aubervilliers, rungs of crafsmanship is happen- Chanel will open a sprawling 275,000- square- foot ing beyond Chanel: Luxury- goods campus, designed by the French architect Rudy leaders LVMH and Kering are also Ricciotti, to bring together the diferent workshops Pinvesting in artisans and establishing schools to on a single site, while preserving their individual train new generations in age- old crafs. LVMH even identities as independent entities. Such mea- opted to shine a spotlight on its artisans with Les sures have bolstered many artisans and, in some JournÈ es ParticuliË res, biennial a event that opens cases, saved entire crafs, as was the case with the to the public the private doors of dozens of its work- 19th- century Parisian feather house LemariÈ ó shops across Europe. perhaps the only remaining plumassieró which Of course, thereí s profit to be made with Chanel acquired in 1996. these magnanimous endeavors, but this kind of Lagerfeld always recognized the need for ate- long- term commitment doesní t come cheap. For liers to innovateó regardless of costó and that instance, Chanelí s MÈ tiers dí Ar t collection, which recognition continues today. ì With Chanel, there the late Karl Lagerfeld launched in 2002, has is no limit to what you can make,î says Messner. become one of the brandí s most celebratedó and ì Some fashion houses come to me and ask about EMMANUEL FRADIN EMMANUEL

BY costlyó shows of crafsmanship, with elaborate price. Not Chanel. Creativity is the most important fashion presentations taking place in a new destina- thing for them.î Thatí s why it takes on average two tion each year. (Last Decemberí s Egptian- themed months to make a single Chanel tweed. (Thatí s also collection, unveiled in the Metropolitan Museum why the pieces come with such high price tags.) PHOTOGRAPHY

MUSEBYROBBREPORT.COM 41

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SPRING 2018 as Using thesametechniques beetle jewelryfor made thegold-plated the Goossensís collection. pre-fall Egyptian-themed

f ne jewelryhouses, workshop Chanelís

$10,000 handbag or$20,000 handwork andemotionaremorevaluable thana next era:a founded by Barrieó town the Scottish niques requiredto before outthe180 they seamlessly can carry technical. Apprentices work for heritage ispreservedthatbothcultural and Halatte, where a en- at theAteliers deVerneuil- to sel s coveted handbags aremade the label. Chanelí tons, jewelry, belt buckles andhandbag claspsfor acquired by art dí Goossens, ert innovate. Hislate father, French jeweler Rob- drive alsothe Patrick understands Goossens of for now sold thefamily business lar stories.TheHouse of ent conceptsto has requiredalmost a require upto An modernity,î says, he a conversation withVirginie about thetheme,î due especially fruitful plete. ar e s reí BarrË nceto. on creation.î mission shared by hsfteísatelier at19. joined hisfatherí goal tradein1989, reentered theembroidery BarrË vision through só creative director Virginie Viardí worked to BrËre, BarrË Hubert he wanted something totally new lookinthearchivesers for ested only inlooking acquired theatelier in 2002, Lesage exquisite jewelry by plated way piecesthesame s in Lesageí hisextensivemodels from archives. Theartisans made for had thebeetleshisfather replicated so Goossens wanted gold beetles for Eg ing aiyb uoaeóbttaísnotluxury. but thatí easily beautomatedó infuse craf infuse things aregone now,î a hand:from i 93 auatr h rníscashmere. manufacture thebrandí in1903ó embroidered couture dress, for ìThe worries ì decades. back morethana These ateliers areushering into Chanel its The Parafection Trained asa In ta- hemedcollection, Lagerfeld andViard ptian-t serves as its artistic director. serves asitsartistic was ìandI ì Montmartre, Chanel accounts Chanel hasa business, andhesays to Chanel 50 years Chanel ago, eeueLgred óand só execute Lagerfeldí brainstorm withmy period where period human creativityand wrso aeboz-andgold- workshop make bronze- impart BrËresays. BarrË treasuretrove of 1,000 of hours witha collaborated with Coco execute thevision.î classicaljeweler inParis, Goossens wax Lsgís Lesageí Cae,i 95 produces but- in1985ó Chanel, of bringa objects. and ìI Lagerfeld. ì the a Walter Iís mold.Ití ìI ì modernspirit. Hawick, 200 subsidiary isrife subsidiary of decade to new to century, embroidery house Maison embroidery for Dsus the Desruesó thefuture. tefsinhue sdesire houseí thefashion jewelry accessories,and to His is a skillful jobthat Hisisaskillful artistic director. artistic When single bag senseof says Barrie and Robert Ker- BarrieandRobert roughly of ideas,[but] notKarl; Chanel in2005 Chanel and

Lagerfeld was f 75,000 dat- samples handiwork to a gown. thecollaboration is the business side ne jewelry ismade process thatcould using the original but training to Over team andwe mix baroque and four to Goossens, ìNow ì For every crafspeopleat instance, may when Chanel ìMost ì 70 cetvtóa creativityó to

now theyears he usually ls er s last yearí f life. And I percentof withsimi- time,î

can focus can r f m tier st mÈ Chanel ve Chanel design- master. inter- years com- tech- who pres- have says his to in ■

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(LEFT IMAGE): PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMMANUEL FRADIN; (RIGHT IMAGE): O. SAILLANT ROBBREPORT.COM/ MUSE 43

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