behind the scenes at Chanel

Gabrielle Chanel launched her fashion house in 1910 at the age of 27, and it has since become the oldest haute couture house in operation. Chanel was known for ushering in a completely new aesthetic for women in postwar France focusing on comfort, freedom and clean lines. A pioneer of the concept of “quiet luxury”, Chanel’s house was behind some of the most celebrated fashion pieces in history, including the little black dress and the tweed suit.

There are four Chanel ateliers dedicated to the biannual haute couture collections

Chanel’s ethos when it came to haute couture was always that the category should allow for creativity to flourish, and be a “space of absolute freedom [with] no material, technical or time constraints”. Today there are four Chanel ateliers dedicated to the biannual haute couture collections, employing up to 50 seamstresses for everything from embroidery to feather work.

Haute couture workshops must include at least 15 people

The Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM) is the Paris-based organisation that has monitored and maintained the strict standards of the haute couture guidelines since 1945. The FHCM has only 100 members, of which representatives from Chanel have been key players since its inception. The term haute couture is legally protected, and only companies approved by the FHCM can be considered in the category. Haute couture workshops must include at least 15 people and must present collections of at least 35 pieces of both day and evening wear twice a year. These collections must also all be made by hand and offer in-person client fittings.

A seamstress works on a piece from the haute couture collection

At Chanel, the process begins at the Creation Studio now manned by Chanel’s creative director, Virginie Viard, where ideas are fabricated into first constructions called “toiles”. These pieces are then brought to life for the runway and for private clients at the brand’s ateliers. Since everything in an haute couture collection is made to order there are no sizes, so designs for private clients are fitted and perfected over two sessions. End to end, the process takes up to three months, and a complex piece like a wedding dress will be the result of thousands of hours of work.

Step inside one of Chanel’s Parisian studios, and experience the glamour of the world’s oldest haute couture atelier.

Director: Mona Tehrani
Director of photography: Jennifer Lafer
Edit: Mohsen Rasizadeh
Additional words: Chiara Brown

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