Several new looks, including a fuchsia sweater with Chanel patches, are available. Image credit: Chanel
French fashion house Chanel is once more bringing chic to the slopes with its current Coco Neige collection and accompanying campaign.
A short film, set to a violin-laden instrumental soundtrack, uses animated models with a pop-art feel to model the collection which includes sweaters, jackets and more. The collection aims to meld traditional Chanel house codes with a palpable sportiness, coming together to provide the ultimate winter clothing selection.
"The spot is unique in the originality of the imagery used to convey Chanel's message," said Thomaï Serdari, author of Rethinking Luxury Fashion and director of fashion and luxury MBA at NYU Stern, New York.
"The blending of the two realities, hyper and real, takes place seamlessly and with the help of the maison's blazons."
Reflective silhouettes
Chanel's Coco Neige collection consists of ready-to-wear and accessory offerings that revolve around winter sports.
The upbeat vignette promotes the latest season’s collection, providing animation by French production company Remembers, opens with a screen filled with Chanel emblems.
House codes meet winter sports
Quickly, the Coco Neige 2022 – 2023 collection is put on display as several different looks unfold – a soft-pink quilted set, a black down jacket, a fuchsia sweater displaying several disparate Chanel patches and more.
Animated models are seen skiing, posing by the chairlifts and more.
The film is laden with the Chanel logo, plastered on and filling the screen in disparate scenes, at one point painted in the sky, giving the vignette a dreamy, eclectic feel.
As mountains dusted with snow are illustrated, the animation juxtaposed with the pieces from the new collection highlight the line’s versatility.
The new collection is readily available for those ready to take on the slopes and those who would rather socialize. Image credit: Chanel
Creative director Virginie Viard crafted the pieces to be the fashionable staples for not only skiing, but also for socializing. Thus, the collection is readily available to any consumer, regardless of their activity preferences.
The collection is available in select Chanel boutiques.
Suddenly sporty
The luxury world has ingratiated itself into the world of sports, from apparel on the slopes to prominent athletes as ambassadors.
Swiss watchmaker Breitling is continuing to go a sporty route in expanding its roster of ambassadors.
The watchmaker’s latest face is Norwegian professional soccer player Erling Haaland, who has broken several records during his career. Manchester City’s striker joins Breitling’s expansively athletic ambassador roster, modeling timepieces alongside Greek professional basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, American snowboarder Chloe Kim and more (see story).
In 2021, French fashion label Louis Vuitton recruited tennis champion Naomi Osaka as its latest house ambassador in another youthful push.
Ms. Osaka, a three-time Grand Slam champion, made her debut for the label in the spring/summer 2021 campaign by Nicolas Ghesquiere, creative director for women’s collections. Ms. Osaka first achieved tennis stardom when she defeated sports icon Serena Williams in the 2018 U.S. Open, a feat she followed up by winning her next Grand Slam tournament, the 2019 Australian Open (see story).
The same year, Swiss watchmaker Tag Heuer enlisted tennis champion Naomi Osaka as an ambassador athlete as the brand continued to move in a younger and more diverse direction.
Ms. Osaka, who has grown into in an activist role, appeared in a film for the watchmaker. The vignette shows how the elite athlete embodies Tag Heuer’s ethos of passion and precision (see story).
Whether tapping an athlete or delving further into the digital world, luxury brands are ostensibly after the same thing: seizing the attention of the next generation.
"Visuals that relate to videogames, NFTs and more of a digital existence rather than a real one are combined together to offer a succinct and focused message that captures young consumers' attention and directs them to the boutique and to Chanel's aspirational lifestyle," Dr. Serdari said.