Inside luxury’s love affair with cinema: from Chanel’s outfits for Sofia Coppola’s Priscilla and dressing Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in Spencer, to Pedro Almodóvar’s film with Saint Laurent

Oct 15 , 2023

Chanel collaborated with director and star Maïwenn and costume designer Jürgen Doering to create six costumes for the character of Jeanne du Barry in the movie of the same name. Photo: Handout

David Cronenberg, Wong Kar-wai, Paolo Sorrentino and Jim Jarmusch have all been lined up to work on a new project from Saint Laurent Productions – the first luxury brand to boast a film wing

Chanel is promoting Hong Kong cinema heritage through a new curational partnership with M+ museum’s moving image programmes, while Valentino hosted the Cannes premiere of The Staggering Girl

From the moment you step into the “Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto” exhibition at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum, you get a sense of just how avant-garde Coco Chanel was. And it wasn’t merely her low-slung dresses, her glittering “dinner party” pyjamas and her little black jackets, but her desire to embrace whatever was coming next in the world of culture and design.

A century on, and the brand is still inspired by these values – and insists that its legacy of cultural patronage goes back to the founder herself. This can be seen by the relationship Chanel is cultivating with the M+ museum in Hong Kong, a three-year partnership which kicked off this summer.

A still image from Mark Cousins’ 14-hoir Women Make Film documentary (2018). Photo: M+

Much of their patronage will be around uplifting the city’s film heritage. “Hong Kong is known for its remarkable and unique relationship with cinema,” says Yana Peel, global head of arts and culture at Chanel. “The distinctive identity of Hong Kong cinema has influenced the film industry globally, and we felt it was essential to preserve its precious cultural heritage, locally and globally.

“Tony Leung’s lifetime achievement award and Michelle Yeoh’s recent Oscar are a testament to this. The filmmaking of pioneers like director John Woo, Wan Kar-wai and actors like Chow Yun-fat have influenced the world beyond entertainment. The same can be said for the martial arts genre defined by Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Jet Li.”

Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Chiu-wai reacts after he received the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement award at the 80th Venice Film Festival on September 2, 2023. Photo: AFP

While not all born in the city, all of these talents made their mark and enjoyed the flashbulb-popping exposure of Hong Kong cinema’s “golden age”. But as well as nodding to the old classics, Chanel wants to uplift filmmakers – and particularly women directors – who may not have enjoyed the same opportunities. Leading these efforts will be Silke Schmickl, the newly appointed Chanel lead curator of moving image at M+.

“Women in Hong Kong film like Ann Hui, Elen Pau and Mabel Cheung have left or are leaving an indelible mark on the history of cinema worldwide,” says Peel. “Appointing Silke Schmickl means that we are able to spotlight this contribution to the evolution of filmmaking, cultural exchange and global appreciation of Asian cinema.”

Michelle Yeoh on the red carpet during the 76th annual Cannes Film Festival earlier this year. Photo: WireImage

Luxury brands and cinema have long gone hand in hand but their relationship in recent years has gone far deeper than just red-carpet dressing, costume design or even the occasional advert made by a famous director.