Chanel brings its Cruise 25 to Lake Como: 'Italian artisans and companies are strategic for us'

"Chanel has its own time, which requires attention and dedication. We are not in a hurry, we are not looking for ruptures and revolutions at all costs; we simply take things one step at a time,' says Bruno Pavlovsky, president of the fashion and métiers d'art activities of the fashion house.

Chanel is in Como to present the 2025 resort collection in the august setting of Villa d'Este, a historic destination for the international jet set and five-star luxury tourism with magnificent views over the calm waters and enchanting scenery of the lake. The Visconti-esque hints of the place and atmosphere are deliberately and deliberately sought-after characters, not least in remembrance of the strong feeling of friendship that bound Coco Chanel to Luchino Visconti (Romy Schneider is also dressed as Chanel in Il lavoro, the episode directed by Visconti in the choral film Boccaccio 70). Pavlovsky talks about the present and strategies for the near future, given the imminent debut of Matthieu Blazy as creative director, expected with the ready-to-wear collection in October.

This is indeed the central theme: the new resort collection, like the haute couture to be shown in Paris in July, is once again the work of the team, despite Blazy's appointment at the end of 2024. The choice may sound risky, given the hunger for novelty that pervades the system and especially given the need for authoritativeness in a rather bland panorama of mostly generic proposals. Chanel in this sense is in a privileged position, at the peak of the collective imagination: the aesthetic codes that characterise it are very strong, one might say unwavering, of absolute recognisability; the desire around the objects that the brand proposes shows no signs of waning. Pavlovsky adds: 'Matthieu will bring something new, but October will only be the beginning of a journey that will develop over the course of at least five years, maybe more'. We welcome slowness, and respect for creative work as an activity that needs ample breathing space to find form and substance.

That said, the lack of a leader at the helm of the team is beginning to be felt, especially in recognition of the fact that, and these are Pavlovsky's words, it is creativity, transformed into product by the hands of skilled artisans, that characterises Chanel. Within this framework, the latest collections have been structured as a means of reaffirming codes by offering a wide variety of product that keeps the boutiques' business alive but brings nothing new.