On November 5, the French luxury brand Chanel will recreate its cruise 2024–25 show, which was shown in Marseille earlier this month, in Hong Kong.
In an interview in Marseille, Chanel's president of fashion, Bruno Pavlovsky, stated that the fashion house has remained steadfast in its support of the Asian metropolis, which has recently lost its prominence as the most significant hub for luxury in the area, if not the entire world, reported South China Morning Post.
Hong Kong has long been one of the brand's most significant luxury markets because of the enormous number of visitors from mainland China and other areas of Asia who arrive to go on shopping sprees and take advantage of the retail environment and reduced costs for luxury items.
However, Hong Kong's reputation as a tourist destination has suffered recently due to anti-government demonstrations that started in 2019 and concluded the following year, as well as lengthy border closures that kept tourists away during the coronavirus outbreak.
Despite the pandemic's peak, Chanel managed to maintain its devoted clientele in the city by hosting events for local media and customers. Additionally, the brand expanded its boutique at the Peninsula hotel, which renowned fashion designer Anna Pavlovsky referred to as "one of the most beautiful in the world" in a video interview with the Post.
"We'll keep making investments in Hong Kong," Pavlovsky declared in Marseille. We are quite happy to be in Hong Kong. This is something we've wanted to accomplish for a while, but Covid prevented us from taking major action, so this will be great. We are thrilled to return to Hong Kong.
Chanel has presented off-schedule destination exhibitions in cities like Edinburgh, Scotland; Dallas, Texas; Havana, Cuba; Dakar, Senegal; and, more recently, Manchester, England, during the past 20 years. Four yearly Paris ready-to-wear and haute couture presentations are also hosted by the house.
These events, usually referred to as "pre-collection" showcases, are highly significant due to their great visibility as well as their function in fostering new relationships and fortifying existing ones with enduring VIP clients.
Unlike the twice-yearly autumn/winter and spring/summer lines, the cruise collection often debuts in stores in November (or sometimes even later in the winter). It is accessible until the early summer. The line, which is sometimes referred to as a resort collection, gets its name from the notion that, in the past, designers would provide a variety of styles to wear on vacation, usually on a cruise, right before the end of the year's travel season.
Replica or repeat shows—like the one held in Hong Kong after the initial unveiling in Marseille—are crucial because they happen as soon as the collection is brought into stores, generating excitement and piqueing customers' interest before they have to wait months to buy the pieces.
Famously, Chanel boasts one of the most devoted customer bases in the business; the majority are one percenters who are immune to the whims of the world economy, which has recently wreaked havoc on the luxury market by slowing growth in significant areas like China.
The president of the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode, Pavlovsky, is upbeat about the future of the luxury market, and Chanel in particular. He describes the current state of affairs as a typical readjustment following a period of euphoria during and immediately following the coronavirus pandemic, when consumers who were stranded at home and unable to travel freely spent money on opulent items as self-rewards.
"It's great news for the world that people are traveling again and that life is returning to normal. The majority of Asian travelers are traveling to Japan because of the country's strong yen, he stated in Marseille. "After three years, a slowdown is typical. Consumers must make decisions, and some decide to travel or purchase upscale items.
With confidence, he continued, "The strong brands will still stay strong, while other brands will face changes – but I'm not worried at all." "Although we must deal with the readjustment, our approach won't change. It has to do with creation, which is now even more crucial.
Regarding the ongoing discussion of the notable price hikes that luxury items, and Chanel bags in particular, have seen recently, Pavlovsky is unreserved in his criticism. "We're the ultimate luxury house, but we get asked about our bags and our high prices a lot," he said. "We have pricey, classic bags, but we also have trendy bags that are performing really well and have a lot of potential, as well as novelties every season.
"This is how a luxury brand operates on a daily basis: positioning and repositioning oneself, concentrating on creation, and surprising clients and the media. That's what we're doing," he said in closing.
In a further indication of its faith in Hong Kong and its standing as a center for luxury, another Parisian brand Louis Vuitton staged a menswear show in the city in December 2023, which coincides with Chanel's next cruise show. It's also encouraging for the city after Dior, another Parisian maison, postponed its March men's collection debut in Hong Kong by only a few weeks./BGNES