Chanel launches its first cultural magazine: 250 pages of fashion, art and commitment
Chanel unveils its very first “Arts & Culture Magazine”, an ambitious publication conceived as an editorial manifesto. An international project that also takes root in Paris.
For several years now, Chanel has steadfastly asserted its role as a cultural patron, supporting the Grand Palais, the Comédie-Française, the Cinémathèque and the Palais Galliera. Today, however, the Maison de la rue Cambon is taking a new step forward with the launch of Chanel Arts & Culture Magazine, a 250-page English-language publication that aims to decipher the subtle links between artistic creation and the Chanel universe.
A magazine under the leadership of Yana Peel
Editorial direction is provided by Yana Peel, currently head of the company’s Arts, Culture and Heritage department, and former director of London’s Serpentine galleries. Her magazine is dense and demanding, designed to highlight the Chanel Culture Fund, a patronage program launched in 2021. This fund supports artists and partner institutions worldwide, including the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the National Portrait Gallery in London and structures in Seoul, Tokyo and New York.
A magazine conceived as a cultural object
For the cover of this first issue, Chanel has chosen a powerful work of art: a bust of Gabrielle Chanel created by Jacques Lipchitz in 1921, revisited by photographer Roe Ethridge, and adorned with signature glasses. An image that sums up the project’s intention: to bring together heritage, contemporary art and the Chanel signature.
Inside, content includes interviews, essays, photographic series and portraits of international artists, including Tilda Swinton, Refik Anadol, Peter Marino and Cao Fei. Archival images and creations from the company’s historical collections are also distilled.
Selective, worldwide distribution
The magazine, entitled Volume 1, was unveiled at the end of June during Chanel’s centenary celebrations in the UK. It is distributed in some twenty independent bookshops worldwide, including some in Paris, but also in Los Angeles, Berlin, Tokyo and Amsterdam. A strong editorial choice, at odds with the logic of mass marketing, which makes the magazine a rare object, designed for insiders.
Chanel, between fashion, influence and cultural soft power
More than just an artistic showcase, this magazine embodies a broader strategy: to reinforce Chanel’s cultural soft power, in a context where culture is becoming as strong an image lever as fashion itself. At a time when luxury brands are multiplying their collaborations with the art world, Chanel is playing the authority and consistency card.
In Paris, this positioning finds a particular echo: as the capital of culture and fashion, the city serves as the backdrop for this large-scale editorial project. A way for Chanel to reaffirm its roots while speaking to a demanding international audience.
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