Chanel Exhibition

At first glance, award-winning architect Zaha Hadid’s futuristic nuances do not seem to reconcile with classic Chanel. But one soon realizes a distinct character trait: an uncompromising innovation. Ths quality brings together Chanel and the Pritzker Prize-winning architect who worked on Mobile Art.

Chanel contemporary art container for a roving contemporary exhibition. A collaboration between the fashion powerhouse and a group of most innovative artists and one of the highest-regarded architects, it pays homage to the 50th anniversary of the iconic quilt-stitched leather purse with gold chains for straps, Chanel 2.55.

Chanel artistic director Karl Lagerfeld wanted no one except Hadid to construct the show’s container. This ‘distorted’ torus showcase 20 international artists’ rendition of the famed accessory via any medium. Such interpretations are not new to Lagerfeld. Since being handed artistic reins in 1983, he has regularly defied conventions by introducing different takes on the 2.55.

Lagerfeld sticks to Chanel’s founding principles-originality, without compromising on its identity-elegance and timelessness. All have contributed to 2.55’s coverted status as a cultural emblem