The show, which first took place in Marseille, France in May, will strengthen Chanel’s bond with its Hong Kong customers and the local community, Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion, said in an interview with Style.
The striking building that houses the institute is located in the formerly industrial area of Tseung Kwan O, and was designed by French firm Coldefy. “We have selected a very interesting area – the first time ever for a fashion show, if I’m right – with very interesting architecture and [that’s] very Hong Kong,” says Pavlovsky. “And on top of that, it’s one of the biggest institutions for students in Hong Kong, so it’s a great opportunity for us to collaborate.”
Pavlovsky explains that staging a show in Hong Kong has been a goal for Chanel for quite some time: the brand had planned to restage a cruise show in the city before the coronavirus pandemic, but eventually cancelled the event due to the anti-government protests at the time.
Barely one month after the Hong Kong show, Chanel will unveil its 2024-25 Métiers d’art collection in Hangzhou, China. Before that, it will support a Shanghai exhibition organised by Comité Colbert – an association that promotes French savoir faire – to commemorate the 60th year anniversary of diplomatic relations between China and France.
Greater China has been top of mind for luxury groups these days – a drop in spending by the region’s customers has created uncertainty in a part of the world that had, until recently, experienced extreme growth. But Pavlovsky, who is still sanguine about the prospects of Hong Kong and Greater China for Chanel, says that these activations had been planned long before those recent developments.