Chanel 2024/25 Métiers D'art Ad Campaign

Review of Chanel 2024/25 Métiers D’art Ad Campaign with Photographer Mikael Jansson with models Liu Wen, Tilda Swinton, Lulu Tenney

As Chanel prepares for a pivotal creative transition, its latest Métiers d’Art campaign offers a masterclass in how legacy can be both preserved and reimagined. Shot near Hangzhou’s West Lake, with photography by Mikael Jansson, the campaign leans into cross-cultural storytelling—an elegant gesture that aligns with Chanel’s continued expansion in Asia and its evolving approach to global luxury positioning.

At a moment when fashion’s visual language often skews toward radical reinvention, Chanel takes a more meditative approach. “Though it may not satisfy those looking for novelty, consumers who appreciate consistency will find it in this campaign,” notes Logan. “Its dependability may prove its greatest strength.” Indeed, rather than pursuing shock or trend-driven aesthetics, the campaign invites viewers into a world of dualities: morning mist and midnight blue, Parisian codes and Chinese landscapes, past and present.

Anchored by longtime brand ambassador Tilda Swinton, alongside Liu Wen and Lulu Tenney, the campaign balances timelessness with quiet cinematic tension. “As a recurring protagonist, Tilda Swinton anchors the campaign’s storytelling,” adds Lea. “Her mature elegance gives gravity to the fantasy, suggesting that this journey isn’t about novelty or trend, but about legacy.”

Chanel’s in-house team draws visual and conceptual inspiration from the Coromandel screen in Gabrielle Chanel’s Paris apartment—an artifact that serves as a bridge between France and China. “The campaign stages a powerful crossing of the threshold between imagination and realization,” notes Lea. “Gabrielle Chanel never set foot in Hangzhou, yet the brand she built makes the journey in her stead.”

While the Coromandel reference is conceptually strong, it remains subtle within the visuals—perhaps too subtle. “Though the campaign’s misty visuals reflect the lacquered elegance of the Coromandel screen, the reference feels more symbolic than sustained,” observes Lea, “and leaves us wondering what further depth could have been unlocked had the screen’s imagery played a more central role in the landscapes themselves.”

Hero looks—like Liu Wen’s black satin charmeuse dress beneath a midnight sky, an ivory pleated silk satin suit drifting through morning mist, and a black embossed pea coat paired with over-the-knee boots—lend material weight to the campaign’s ethereal tone. Quilted leather travel bags and the CHANEL 25 bag further root the narrative in the brand’s codes of functional elegance.

Yet this subtlety may be part of a broader strategic pivot. “In this campaign, Chanel doesn’t simply preserve legacy—it reimagines it as a living, breathing landscape,” reflects Sonya. “By merging the artisanal inspirations of Gabrielle Chanel’s Coromandel screens with the evocatively elemental framing of heritage through a cross-cultural lens, the house signals a shift in luxury from static iconography to immersive worlds.”

Through this cross-cultural dialogue, Chanel positions itself not only as a steward of Parisian tradition, but as a global storyteller. “Framed through a dialogue between continents and eras, Chanel’s campaign strategy leans into transcultural storytelling,” notes Sonya, “anchoring the Parisian soul of rue Cambon within the ethereal Hangzhou’s West Lake.”

Ultimately, Chanel’s Métiers d’Art campaign reminds us that in luxury, consistency is not the opposite of innovation—it can be its most enduring form. As the brand awaits its next creative chapter under Matthieu Blazy, this campaign offers a quietly confident affirmation of Chanel’s continued authority in shaping both narrative and atmosphere. In a fashion landscape obsessed with speed, it dares to move with patience—and with purpose.