Or if you go into the Le19m building and you see the artisanal way of working; the time, the attention to detail that is put into every single piece – not only couture but every single collection. For me, this is something that the world of fashion cannot lose, but there are not so many houses that are still able to do it.
Is there a parallel between that craft and the craft of filmmaking?
Exactly. It’s very precious. Like the way Pedro [Almodovar] would make a film; there are layers, and it has to have roots, and every single detail matters. So this is how they work to express the incredible talent of Virginie, and before Karl, and before them Gabrielle: it takes the hard work, dedication and talent of many other people as well. The way I feel to be part of this family is the same I think as they feel: it creates such a strong and real feeling of wanting to give back.
And in this case you could bring your craft, your metier, to Chanel.
It is a short film but it is telling a story. And of course, that’s where I always feel most comfortable. And especially paying homage to a character that is so iconic. I think the film works because it reflects a history that is real. And the collection worked so well against it today for the same reason. You know those hats: hats were the first thing that Gabrielle made and sold, and her first store was in Deauville. And then blouses too. It was around 1912 and it was very brave for the time because it was as much about comfort as it was about elegance. And she would dress her sisters and their friends in the blouses and hats and send them out to walk on the same promenade, the same boardwalk, that we see in the film. So that was the mouth to mouth social media of the time.
Wow, Penélope: I’ve never interviewed someone who is working in partnership with a fashion brand who has such a deep knowledge of its history.
Ha! And all my friends at Chanel, they always laugh about that. And they say ‘oh, if we have a doubt about the provenance of where one piece is from we’re gonna call you!’. You know I acted as editor for Vogue Spain in 2019 and we shot two covers as a tribute to Karl with Peter Lindbergh. And we had trucks driven from Paris to Spain filled with archive pieces. And during the shoot we were talking all day about Karl, but we had no idea how sick he was. And that night he died. We loved him very much. I have so many amazing stories that I shared with him. And I honestly could not imagine anybody better in the world than Virginie to follow in his footsteps. She’s doing great. She’s doing an incredible job being herself, and at the same time being 100 percent the essence of Chanel.