West Lake (Lake Xihu)  in Hangzhou, China, has long inspired poets and artists with its serene beauty. Now, it serves as the stage for CHANEL’s 2024/25 Métiers d’Art collection, a celebration of craftsmanship and cultural exchange.

Though Gabrielle Chanel never visited China, she was captivated by its culture. Among her most treasured possessions were her Coromandel screens — ornate Chinese lacquer panels depicting intricate landscapes and daily life. One of her favourite and largest screens from the 19th century – which adorned her private office on 31 rue Cambon in Paris –  portrayed the beauty of West Lake. These screens were windows to another world for Chanel, sparking her creativity and influencing her iconic designs in the 1950s and 60s. “I would faint with happiness when I walked into a Chinese art dealer and saw a Coromandel,” Chanel once said, reflecting her deep admiration for Chinese artistry.

Hangzhou, renowned as a historic centre of silk manufacturing and trade, is a city steeped in tradition yet alive with modernity. Its harmonious blend of ancient craftsmanship and contemporary innovation echoes the spirit of Gabrielle Chanel herself, whose pioneering vision redefined modern fashion. The Métiers d’Art collection honours the exceptional skill of CHANEL’s artisans while embracing the essence of Hangzhou—a city where tradition and creativity exist in perfect equilibrium.

Now, this connection between CHANEL and Hangzhou is further explored in a new film by acclaimed director Wim Wenders. Featuring an international cast that includes Tilda Swinton, Xin Zhilei, and Leah Dou, the film offers a poetic meditation on the relationship between past and present, fantasy and reality, the East and the West. “I spent some time in Mademoiselle Chanel’s office and studied her Coromandel screen. It made a huge impression on me. Somehow, it was like a very early movie screen or giant comic strip that featured lots of little stories. Wherever you looked, there was another scene of daily life,” Wenders remarked.