The French maison honors its Italian link with a short movie directed by Sofia Coppola, which was shot at the Como Lake in northern Italy and featured Chanel’s cruise 2025-26 collection.

During the time that the fashion industry is waiting for the first collection to be designed by the newly appointed creative director Matthieu Blazy, Chanel devotees were given a parade of stylish pieces, with resort wear evoking the elegance of old Hollywood.

In the meanwhile, the Parisian powerhouse is not slowing down, despite the fact that anticipation is growing for Matthieu Blazy’s debut collection during his tenure as creative director of Chanel, which is scheduled to be shown in October. After making a trip to Hangzhou, China, at the end of the previous year, Chanel showcased her Métiers d’Art collection with a mesmerizing display on the beaches of West Lake. Subsequently, Chanel made a trip to Lake Como, another body of water, to unveil its cruise 2025-26 collection.
The presentation was a celebration of Italian joie de vivre and Chanel’s long-standing connection with Italy. It was held in the magnificent Villa d’Este, which once served as a royal home in the 16th century and is now considered to be one of the most renowned hotels in Italy.

Italy plays a significant part in the production of Chanel’s inventions, which include leather goods, shoes, sunglasses, and knitwear, despite the fact that Chanel is primarily a French maison. Chanel has made investments in a number of Italian suppliers during the course of its history. In 2023, the fashion house formed a partnership with the luxury lifestyle brand Brunello Cucinelli to make a joint investment in a cashmere company. A more recent acquisition by the family was a 35 percent share in the silk manufacturer Mantero, which is situated in Como.

“I always say that Chanel was half French and half Italian,” remarked Bruno Pavlovsky, the president of fashion at Chanel, in an interview that took place before to the event. Despite the fact that we are a French brand, we have been establishing a significant number of operations in Italy for a very long time. You have no option but to choose between France and Italy if you want to be in the luxury world. As of right now, we are producing a greater number of units in Italy than we are in France, and the fashion part of Chanel employs a greater number of people in Italy than it does in France.

Although we are not Italian, we have a strong sense of belonging in Italy, particularly in this region of the country. As a result of the disappearance of shoe production in France, we now manufacture all of our shoes in Italy. The tailoring for ready-to-wear garments is produced in France, while the denim and knitwear are manufactured in Italy.

In point of fact, the relationship between Italy and Chanel can be traced back to the period when Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel was still alive. In 1920, the fashion designer had her first experience with Italy when she traveled to Venice, which would go on to become one of her most beloved places. A close friend of hers was the Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti, who is said to have extended an invitation to her to visit his estate on Lake Como, which is located in a location not too distant from estate d’Este. Eventually, Visconti persuaded the designer to outfit actress Romy Schneider for a part in an episode of Boccaccio ’70 (1962), which was an anthology of four tales about women. Chanel was the one who introduced Visconti to the French filmmaker Jean Renoir.
Sofia Coppola, a filmmaker who has worked with Chanel for a long time, considers the chapter featuring Schneider to be one of her favorite films. In this chapter, the actress wears Chanel hallmarks such as pearl necklaces and shoes with two different tones.