Tweed, one of CHANEL’s most recognizable symbols. In the fall/winter 2022 season, brand artistic director Virginie Viard chose this classic fabric as the theme, leading us to revisit its history and showcase the charm of tweed.
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Travel back to 1920, Gabrielle Chanel and her lover, the Duke of Westminster, traveled to Scotland. While strolling along the River Tweed, she often borrowed the Duke’s clothing to wear, which inspired her idea of using traditionally male fabrics like tweed for women’s clothing.
When creating the Fall/Winter 2022 collection, Virginie Viard and the design team followed in the footsteps of Gabrielle Chanel by imagining the natural colors of the Tweed River on the herringbone tweed. At the same time, she also believed that Gabrielle Chanel, walking in the Scottish countryside, would pick ferns and bouquets for the local weavers as a reference, adjusting the colors she envisioned.
Therefore, the herringbone soft tweed seen on the catwalk this season has also broken away from the traditional black and white basic colors, and used rich and bright colors, such as pink coats with blue and purple accents, or burgundy suits sprinkled with shiny gold.
The herringbone wool coat, as a signature element of CHANEL, has been popular in the fashion world for nearly a century. In addition to continuing the classic tailoring each season, there have been many innovations and variations in color and weave texture. This season, Virginie Viard has incorporated various colors seen in the beautiful landscapes of Scotland, such as pink flowers with green leaves, purple lavender with lake blue, and other natural colors, creating youthful and vibrant styles. For example, wearing a long coat as a dress, pairing a short coat with a mini skirt, or combining with leather pants for a British rock ‘n’ roll vibe, all paired with a pair of weather-appropriate rain boots, evoking the feeling of stepping on muddy grass and simulating the joyful mood of Gabrielle Chanel strolling by the river.
From start to finish, tweed is a timeless classic for the brand, with endless possibilities of colors and material combinations. When it comes to this season’s designs, Virginie Viard emotionally said, “I love tweed extremely, tweed is an absolute must-have at CHANEL.”
