Chanel becomes a major patron of the Cinematheque Francaise


Chanel reaffirms its love for Cinema by becoming a great patron of the Cinematheque francaise for three years.

The French luxury brand who has been increasing cultural support projects like patronage of the Grand Palais and the Palais Galliera, will strengthen its close link with the world of culture. The collaboration takes on its full meaning since Coco Chanel was very attached to the cinematographic universe and had never dressed many actresses of the time such as Romy Schneider with her creations. 'It is through cinema that fashion can be imposed today,' said Gabrielle Chanel in La revue du cinema in 1931.

In celebration of the patronage Chanel will provide special support to several exhibitions initiated by the Cinematheque francaise related to the house's creations. First, it will present a full retrospective of the work of director Alain Resnais (Nuit et Brouillard, Last year in Marienbad) from November 3 to 28, 2021. From March 16 to July 31, 2022, an exhibition dedicated to Romy Schneider who was a great admirer of Coco Chanel will be unveiled by Cinematheque francaise. Lastly, Chanel will participate in the restoration of films such as La Regle du jeu by Jean Renoir dating from 1939, for which Gabrielle Chanel designed the costumes as well as the restoration and digitization of archives like the screenplay of the film Ludwig and Twilight of the Gods by Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti from 1973.

'Henri Langlois, founder of the Cinematheque francaise, loved the dresses of his bedside stars and the accessories of his heroes because he thought that these fragile remnants of the making of a film forever contained a small part of its magic and a reflection of its writing. This is how the fabulous collection of dresses and costumes of the Cinematheque francaise was born in 1936, when it was founded. A transgressive couturiere, internationally renowned for her revolutionary work on the canons of fashion, a precursor of the mixing and fluidity of genders, Gabrielle Chanel, and later her successors at the head of her house, never ceased to create for the cinema and to maintain close and fruitful links with it. Through retrospectives, film restorations, exhibitions and the enriching of our collections, we will be able to tell a certain cinematic story thanks to the precious support of the House of Chanel, the story that fashion has woven into the seventh art,' Costa-Gavras, President of the Cinematheque francaise said in a press release.

'The dialogue between fashion and cinema, which began with Gabrielle Chanel and the great directors of the 1930s in Hollywood and in France, has always been productive and inspiring. By becoming a major patron of the Cinematheque francaise today, Chanel is strengthening its special relationship with this prestigious institution as well as its commitment to safeguarding and distributing masterpieces of the seventh art to as many people as possible. We are both proud and happy to accompany the Cinematheque francaise in its multiple projects over the next three years,' Bruno Pavlovsky, President of Chanel's Fashion Activities and President of Chanel SAS added.


This is not the first time that Chanel has made a commitment to the cinema. Back in 2018, the brand was linked to the Cinematheque francaise around the work of director Robert Bresson and more particularly the restoration of his film Les Dames du Bois de Boulogne. Once again in 2020 Chanel collaborated with the institution to imagine the very first retrospective of the filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard, instigator of the New Wave movement.

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