On Dec. 6, Chanel will make history when it presents its latest Métiers d'Art collection in Dakar, Senegal. The decision by Chanel designer Virginie Viard to show in the Senegalese capital city marks the first time the global French fashion house has ever set foot not just in Dakar, or Senegal, or even West Africa, but the entire continent of Africa itself. “When you look at a map, Chanel has been everywhere in the world except for Africa. From day one, Virginie said that this was something important missing from Chanel,” Bruno Pavlovsky, the brand’s president of fashion, told the Guardian.
THE BACK STORY
• In fashion, experiences are the new luxury. To stay ahead of the crowds, labels are now combing the globe in search of unexpected backdrops to present their collections and capture likes on social media.
• Case in point: Dior staged a show at Panathenaic Stadium in Athens. Gucci brought its “love parade” to Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles. Dolce and Gabbana’s held a haute-couture show in Capri. And now Chanel is coming to Dakar, an epicenter for contemporary African art and design.
• The label’s Africa debut certainly has been a long time coming. Still, how the storied French fashion house interprets the artistic and cultural energy of West Africa should be thrilling to see. (Pharrell Williams is rumored to be involved.) More than anything, Chanel’s arrival will put a much-deserved global spotlight on the region’s singular tradition of craftsmanship.
SENEGAL RISING
• Black Rock, a seafront artist residency in Dakar run by Obama-portraitist Kehinde Wiley, is arguably Senegal's buzziest cultural attraction. The Museum of Black Civilizations, a 50-years-in-the-making hub for African art, draws acclaim for spotlighting works stolen during colonial times. And Bët-bi, a planned museum and education center from the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation near Senegal’s Kaolack Region, will similarly focus on historic and contemporary African art when it opens in 2025.
• One the world’s most in-demand, high-fashion faces? The 21-year-old, Sengalese-Italian model Maty Fall Diba, who has walked the runways for Dior and Chanel and appeared on the cover of Vogue Italia.
