Chanel and the passion for sport

One should never cease to remember how much Gabrielle Chanel did, as a fashion designer and entrepreneur, to break down the wall that divides the male universe from the female one and that results in lack of opportunities for women.

A wall that more than 50 years after the death of the founder of the Chanel fashion house still exists, as demonstrated by the fervent discussion (it is not clear how conclusive) on patriarchy and machismo that is taking place in Italy and France in particular. Taking for granted the role Gabrielle Chanel played in spreading the idea that a woman could build an empire in the fashion industry - then as now dominated by men - and taking for granted the role she played in liberating women through changes in their wardrobe, there is a lesser known aspect of what we might call the designer's assault on male hegemony. Let's be clear: Chanel had devouring passions for life - and therefore for certain men - and she never theorised that she could do without them or wanted to marginalise them. Rather, she intended to give herself and all women who wanted it the same opportunities to 'bite the bullet'. And sport, to be observed or participated in directly, was part of this pioneering vision of Gabrielle Chanel.

A corner of this woman's extraordinary life could not have escaped Patrice Leguéreau, who was creative director of jewellery at Chanel from 2009. A visionary capable of translating the maison's symbols into diamonds and filigrees, whether it was tweed fabric or Gabrielle Chanel's sporting passions. Leguéreau passed away at the beginning of November aged just 53, struck down by an illness with a fulminating course and just a few months after presenting the Sport haute joaillerie collection. "To create this jewellery, I was inspired by the sports style of the founder, which has become an integral part of the style of the maison and its history," Leguéreau had said, recalling that Gabrielle Chanel had created an atelier expressly dedicated to sports-related clothing and accessories within the maison in 1921, when women were in fact only allowed to watch sport, perhaps alongside a man, not to play it.

The collection consists of 80 pieces including: 23 one-of-a-kind pieces, 21 transformable pieces, 3 one-of-a-kind pieces in colour and 24 pieces priced over one million euros. The most expensive piece is the Graphic Line ring with a 17.18-carat cushion-cut sapphire, which costs a whopping 9.5 million euros, while the least expensive piece is the Sporty 5 ring, which costs 65 thousand euros. The jewellery has been divided by Patrice Leguéreau into seven themes: the first is Graphic Line, consisting of 25 pieces characterised by the 'chevron' line, evoking rhythm and speed, with simple lines - so to speak - and sharp, profiled contours. The 'chevron' line can be recognised by its succession of Vs and refers to the Bijoux de Diamants collection presented by Gabrielle Chanel in 1932 (to be exact, the motif characterised one of the 'Comète' pieces). Then there are the other themes: Graphic Print (15 pieces characterised by the Chanel logo revisited in a sporty print); Quiltes Icons (7 pieces characterised by the matelassé in a sporty version, lightened, perforated, adorned with the maison's symbols, redesigned with references to the world of sport; Sporty (12 pieces characterised by 5, Coco's lucky number which becomes a clasp in the shape of a snap hook); Gold Silver (13 pieces characterised by a sliding loop, with the round 'head' of the loop inspired by the shape of the button, creating an explicit link with fashion); Sweater (8 pieces inspired by the sporty sweatshirt and its laces). Last but not least, the Collector theme, consisting of five brooches. As far as stones are concerned, the collection offers an exceptional and extensive ensemble: five sapphires from Cashmere stand out, characterised by their homogeneity of colour, crystal brightness, purity and cut. Among the other stones are rubies and spinels, garnets and yellow diamonds, emeralds, diamonds and onyx, sapphires, and the preciousness is juxtaposed - another ingenious Patrice Leguéreau gimmick - with highly technical materials such as aluminium and carbon fibre that coexist with white and yellow gold, platinum, lacquer, black and white ceramic.

Returning to fashion, 2024 closed with the Métiers d'art collection show in Hangzhou, China, and a few weeks later, the date and venue for the spring show of the Resort collection was announced, to be held on 29 April at Lake Como. But before that, Paris will host the haute couture shows (in January) and the ready-to-wear shows in February.