In Wim Wenders’ timeless short film, Tilda Swinton follows in the footsteps of Gabrielle Chanel in East China.

After England last year, in the legendary West Lake of Hangzhou, Chanel will present its Métiers d’art collection 2024-2025 The lake was indeed dear to Gabrielle Chanel’s heart. And for good reason, she was featured on the big screen representing Hangzhou. the cradle of needlework and silk that adorned his office on the rue Cambon in Paris.

This screen was part of a collection of around twenty Coromandel panels from the 17th to 19th centuries that the seamstress had patiently collected throughout her life. he said.

Between dream and reality

Landscapes that today are the natural setting of the film, which pays homage to the cultural heritage around the lake, as well as the connection of the founder of the haute couture house to the latter, but never had the opportunity to go there as a window to the world. The dreams of the past and the habits of modern life mingle with the beauty of a Chinese metropolis that oscillates between tradition and modernity.

“I spent time in Miss Chanel’s office and studied her Coromandel screen for a long time. This had a great effect on me. In a way, it was like an old movie screen or huge comics filled with small stories. Everywhere we look, we discover another scene of everyday life,” explained the German director. And continue. “The biggest inspiration for my films has always been places. Most of them started with a desire to tell a story that belonged to a particular place that I had discovered and loved. This story had to be special and couldn’t be anywhere else.”

Twelve years of cooperation

To bring this “story” to life, Wim Wenders unexpectedly surrounded himself with three ambassadors of the house: Chinese actresses Xin Zhilei and Lia Du, as well as British Tilda Swinton.

The latter, an avant-garde film star who has shot for Jim Jarmusch, Wes Anderson and the Coen brothers, among others, makes no secret of his excitement over his twelve-year partnership with Chanel. “What we achieve together continues to grow year after year,” he confided, praising the label’s “role as a cultural patron and supporter of artists.”