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CHANEL has officially landed in New York, and for its Métiers d’art 2025/26 collection, the house didn’t look to Fifth Avenue glamour or skyline clichés — it went underground. Presented in the city’s subway system, the show tapped into the raw, chaotic beauty of a space millions pass through every day, reframing it as a stage worthy of couture-level craft.
Photos courtesy of CHANEL
The Maison paired the physical presentation with a new digital platform, giving the public a deeper look into the collection’s textures, references, and the artisans who bring Métiers d’art to life. But the heart of this year’s narrative lies in the subway itself — that democratic artery where students, activists, politicians, tourists, and teenagers share the same fluorescent-lit tunnels.
CHANEL describes the subway as “a place full of enigmatic yet wonderful encounters, a clash of pop archetypes… where everyone has a destination and each person is unique in their style. Like in the movies, they are the heroes of their own stories.” It’s this cinematic, character-driven vision of New York that shapes the collection: a tribute to the city’s talent for turning anonymity into mythology.
Photos courtesy of CHANEL
Instead of soft nostalgia, the Métiers d’art pieces channel urban immediacy — the grit, the colour, the constant motion. And yet, beneath the city references, the core idea remains unchanged: Métiers d’art is Chanel’s yearly homage to savoir-faire, a celebration of the specialist ateliers whose embroidery, embellishment, and tailoring define the brand’s highest level of craftsmanship.
This season, that heritage collides with subway iconography: a reminder that couture techniques don’t have to sit on pedestals — they can move, rush, merge, and breathe like the city itself.
Photos courtesy of CHANEL