LES SECRETS DUN MYTHE VIVANT

SECRETS OF A LIVING MYTH

LES SECRETS DUN MYTHE VIVANT

EN FVRIER 1955, COCO CHANEL LANCE UN SAC QUI DCLENCHE UNE RVOLUTION DANS LUNIVERS DU LUXE. LOBJET BAPTIS 2.55
POUR RAPPELER SA DATE DE CRATION RESTE UNE RFRENCE ABSOLUE EN MATIRE DLGANCE ET EST ENTR DANS LA LGENDE.

En visionnaire, Mademoiselle Chanel comprend que les sacs tenir la main ne sont plus adapts aux envies des femmes qui mnent de front vie professionnelle et
familiale, prennent lavion ou conduisent leur voiture. Elle dcide de leur passer une lanire et de les porter sur lpaule. Rserve jusqualors aux besaces des militaires
et aux lourdes gibecires adoptes par les femmes bicyclette dans les annes de guerre, la bandoulire fait son entre dans la mode. Affine en chane dore tresse
dun ruban de cuir ou maillons plats entirement en mtal, elle rappelle celle que Mademoiselle glisse en bas des vestes pour en assurer le tomb. Cest aussi une
nouvelle gestuelle qui apparat dans le sillage des sacs CHANEL. Le modle est alors dclin en agneau pour le jour, en soie pour le soir, ou en jersey, une
matire emprunte aux hommes, quelle introduit ds les annes 1910 dans le vestiaire fminin. Il doit son gonflant et sa tenue aux losanges matelasss, devenus
lune des signatures emblmatiques de la griffe au mme titre que le N5, le camlia, les rangs de perles ou la petite robe noire. Ce matelassage voque les vestes
des lads sur les champs de courses et les coussins du canap en daim fauve de son appartement parisien de la rue Cambon. Penss pour tre pratiques autant
questhtiques, les sacs CHANEL rvlent, labri des regards, des poches soufflets, dont une centrale, destine au rouge lvres, et une doublure aussi soigne
que lextrieur. Aujourdhui, cest le mme souci du dtail et du bel ouvrage que perptue CHANEL, dans un savant mlange entre tradition et technologie de pointe.
En se mariant aussi bien au jean, au tailleur qu la robe du soir, la force des sacs CHANEL est de sadapter aux envies de toutes les gnrations. Ce ne sont pas moins
dune trentaine de nouveaux modles qui sont imagins au rythme de sept collections par an. Gros plan sur la fabrication de ces symboles du luxe la franaise dans
lunit de production prs de Paris.

FICHE TECHNIQUE

Jusqu 18 heures de travail, selon les peaux utilises, sont ncessaires la fabrication dun 2.55 , sac cr en fvrier 1955 par Coco Chanel et rest depuis une icne.

6 15 personnes interviennent dans la fabrication dun sac.

50 % des modles sont raliss en noir dans de nombreuses peausseries.

Plus de 180 oprations sont ncessaires la fabrication dun sac.

GROS PLAN SUR LA FABRICATION DUN SAC

Une petite ville de 3 000 habitants 70 km au nord de Paris. Avec sa faade matelasse de verre et de mtal, lunit de production de CHANEL dploie son architecture technologique au milieu dun crin de verdure. Cest dans ce btiment quest fabrique la quasi-totalit des sacs de la griffe. De la slection des peaux lemballage final, tout est mis en uvre dans cet espace aux allures de laboratoire pour donner une ralit aux modles imagins par Karl Lagerfeld.
Dabord il y a lodeur animale et veloute du cuir, qui mane des entrepts o les peaux, dune qualit irrprochable, sont stockes par milliers. Dans des couleurs aussi subtiles et varies que celles dune palette de fards, elles salignent, empiles perte de vue: agneau plong ou foulonn, veau grain caviar , veau verni,
alligator et python mtallis dans des coloris sable, gris iris, cladon, bleu nuit, chocolat et autres teintes couleur du temps... Conserv part, le noir dploie toutes
ses nuances dans des jeux de textures, dombre et de lumire, de mat et de brillant. Non loin, les doublures grenat, dj employes par Mademoiselle Chanel pour
lintrieur des sacs noirs, font un clin dil lointain son uniforme du pensionnat dAubazine, dans le sud de la France.
Pendant longtemps, 80 % des modles taient raliss en noir, la couleur reprsente aujourdhui 50 % de la production. On retrouve pratiquement un beige
diffrent chaque fois, prcise le directeur du site, le renouvellement est tel que lon ne sennuie jamais. Et cest vrai quavec sept collections par an, comptant
chacune plus dune trentaine de modles, lhabilet et le savoir-faire des ateliers sont en permanence sollicits. Il faut plusieurs annes dapprentissage pour tre
capable de raliser un sac CHANEL , insiste-t-il. Entre les 4 ateliers de production, latelier demballage et la coupe centralise, les 350 personnes employes sur le
site affichent ainsi 15 ans danciennet en moyenne. Avant la production des sacs que lon retrouvera quelques mois plus tard en boutique, la mise au point des prototypes des saisons futures se fait labri des regards dans les modules de dveloppement. Un parfum de mystre rgne autour de ces pices o lon interprte les
croquis fournis par le studio de Karl Lagerfeld. partir de gabarits raliss la main, plusieurs sacs sont tests avant dobtenir le prototype finalis. De llaboration
des volumes sur une forme en carton au dtail dune couture, il faut compter une semaine de mise au point avant le dpart en production. Sur les 200 300 prototypes raliss pour chaque collection, le studio nen slectionne quune trentaine. Aligns comme des trophes sur des tagres, prs de 3 000 sacs sont conservs
dans les salles darchives du site. Autant de modles jalonnant lhistoire de CHANEL, qui stimulent lexcellence et la crativit des quipes et les aident parfois
rsoudre des questions techniques lors du dveloppement, de la forme dune poigne celle dune patte dpaule.
Ralise par des maroquiniers, des mcaniciennes et des coupeurs, la production peut alors commencer. Plus dune dizaine de modles diffrents sont fabriqus chaque semaine pour rpondre avec ractivit la demande des boutiques. Coupe manuelle la pointe ou lemporte-pice, coupe assiste par ordinateur,
piquage automatique et oprations de surcoupe permettent de prparer les peaux et de les mettre aux dimensions avant lassemblage. Ici, tout est une affaire de
millimtres. 80 % du temps de travail est pass sur la table dassemblage, valorisant un savoir-faire manuel et les traditions dun artisanat de luxe inimitables. Aprs la
coupe, on structure le sac avec des renforts thermocolls et on laffine en dspaississant le cuir. Tous les sacs sont monts lenvers et sont retourns ensuite. Un
secret qui perptue les principes novateurs de Mademoiselle Chanel, qui aimait cultiver le luxe cach : lenvers vaut lendroit. Aussi soigne que lextrieur, la doublure est ainsi conue comme un vritable sac dans le sac. Il faut faire attention aux chocs et aux cassures en le retournant, insiste une maroquinire, aprs on roule
le cuir avec les doigts pour faire ressortir les coutures et on le tape pour quil reste droit et bien en forme.
Ralis sur des machines dveloppes spcialement par les techniciens de CHANEL, le matelassage est une autre prouesse qui peut prendre les formes
les plus surprenantes, comme cette srie inspire des vitraux du monastre dAubazine, lieu o Coco Chanel a pass son enfance. Une fois le modle assembl, on

procde la pose des accessoires qui permettent didentifier un sac CHANEL au premier coup dil : sertissage des illets, pose des fermoirs et tressage de kilomtres de chanes.
En plus des autocontrles raliss chacune des 180 oprations de fabrication, les composants sont valids un un par le laboratoire de qualit. On teste la
fonctionnalit des accessoires, la tenue des finitions, des couleurs, ou la rsistance labrasion. Des enceintes climatiques de haute technologie permettent de simuler des conditions extrmes dhumidit et de chaleur. Prts affronter lpreuve des annes et les climats du monde entier, les sacs passent environ 72 heures une
temprature de 60 degrs, avec un taux dhumidit de 95 %. Un contrle dune exigence rare auquel sajoute une vrification attentive des peaux, dont on teste la
rsistance aux UV, au dchirement, ou leffet dperlant.
Vient alors lemballage, aussi minutieux que le reste de la fabrication, avec un soin extrme port chaque sac, du certificat dauthenticit la pastille de
traabilit, en passant par le bourrage au papier de soie pour maintenir le volume et la protection de la chane et du rabat afin quils ne marquent pas le cuir. Si tous
prennent place dans lemblmatique crin noir et blanc, chaque modle a un emballage adapt sa forme. Une fois dans leur bote, les sacs partent vers le centre de
distribution de CHANEL, o ils seront expdis vers les boutiques du monde entier. Et le rve peut alors commencer...

SECRETS OF A LIVING MYTH

IN FEBRUARY 1955, COCO CHANEL LAUNCHED A BAG THAT SPARKED A REVOLUTION IN THE WORLD OF LUXURY GOODS. THE 2.55
TAKES ITS NAME FROM THIS DATE, AND REMAINS A SYNONYM FOR ELEGANCE AND EXCLUSIVITY TO THIS DAY.

Mademoiselle Chanel was a true visionary, and never more so than when she realised that in a world of passenger jets and family cars, where women combined successful careers with busy family lives, traditional hand-held bags were simply no longer practical. As a result, the shoulder strap previously found only on soldiers bags
and the heavy satchels female bicycle porters carried during the war made its debut in the world of fashion. Cocos straps proved an absolute sensation. Made of
golden chains intertwined with strips of leather or of chains of flat metal links, and not entirely dissimilar to the material she placed at the bottom of jackets to ensure
they hung properly, her straps changed the way women held themselves. Two versions of the bag were produced: a lambskin model to be carried in the daytime, and
an evening-wear design made of either silk or jersey, a material traditionally found in menswear, which Coco had introduced to ladies fashion in the 1910s. The bags
quilted effect was created by the diamond-shaped top-stitching, inspired by jockeys riding coats as well as by Cocos own light-brown suede cushions in her rue
Cambon apartment in Paris. Alongside N5, the camellia, pearl necklaces and the little black dress, this criss-cross design has become one of the timeless symbols
of the house of CHANEL. The 2.55 bag combined both aesthetics and practicality, featuring discreet interior pockets that were ideal for storing a lipstick, and an inner
lining that was just as exquisitely designed as its outer shell. CHANEL today shares this same obsession with detail and craftsmanship, and continues to dance cleverly
between tradition and modernity. Indeed, CHANEL bags are as stylish paired with jeans as they are with a suit or evening gown, and their strength lies in their ability to

adapt to the desires of different generations. Over 30 new models are produced each year, forming part of the Houses seven annual collections. But it is at the
production site just outside of Paris that these icons of French luxury are brought to life.

DATA SHEET

Up to 18: Depending on the materials used, number of hours work that goes into the production of a 2.55 bag, first designed in February 1955 by Coco Chanel,
and that remains a true icon

6 to 15: Number of people involved in the production of each bag

50: Percentage of models produced in black, in numerous different leathers and skins

More than 180: Number of production stages in the creation of a bag

THE CREATION OF A BAG IN CLOSE-UP

CHANELs production site is situated in a small town, home to 3,000 people, about 70 kilometres north of Paris. Characterised by its quilted glass and metal faade

and set amongst lush, green fields, this site has produced almost every CHANEL bag. From the selection of the leather to the packaging of the final product, each
stage required to transform Karl Lagerfelds designs into reality is carried out within these grounds.
The first thing to strike any visitor is the smooth, musky smell of leather, which wafts out from the storage rooms where the exceptionally high-quality skins are
kept in their thousands. Visible in infinite piles, the colours and textures of the leather are as subtle and varied as a make-up palette, and include lambskin, grained
caviar calfskin, patent calfskin, alligator and python leathers in iridescent grey, sand, celadon, midnight blue, chocolate and other seasonal shades. These skins are
stored separately from those dyed black, a colour that is particularly effective in highlighting subtle differences of texture, and which allows an interplay between
shadow and light, between matt and gloss. Kept not far from the leathers is the burgundy lining that Coco herself placed in all black bags a playful nod towards her
old uniform at Aubazine school in the South of France.
While in the past, up to 80% of all bags produced were black, they represent only 50% of the diverse range proposed today. We use a different shade of beige
practically every time, explains the site manager, so things never get boring. And with seven collections a year, each featuring more than 30 models of bags, the master craftsmen that produce them are kept extremely busy. To produce a CHANEL bag, you must first serve an apprenticeship for several years, the manager points
out, which goes some way to explaining why between four production workshops, as well as packaging and material-cutting departments, the 350 employees boast
an average of 15 years experience. Before any bag goes into production, the sites development facility first finalises the details of the designs sent by Karl Lagerfelds
studio. Working from sketches, a range of hand-made mock-ups are produced before selecting a final prototype and deciding on its exact proportions and stitching
details. This whole development stage is shrouded in mystery and usually takes around a week to complete. Then out of the 200 to 300 prototypes produced for each

collection, the studio selects around 30. The sites archives hold nearly 3,000 different bags; together they map out CHANELs history. Lined up like trophies, these
different models serve to inspire the design teams of today, as well as helping them to resolve any problems they might be having with the ideal shape of a handle or
detail on a strap.
Once the bag has been approved for production, a team of leather craftsmen, engineers and cutters will work on more than 10 different models every week to
meet the demand from boutiques. However, before the bag can be assembled, the leather must first be prepared. It is cut from the skin either by hand, using a punch, or
by computer, and is then machine-stitched, trimmed and finished. This is an extremely precise process, with all dimensions measured to within a fraction of a millimetre.
80% of the total production time is spent on the assembly table, where CHANELs master craftsmen use their expertise to produce an item of unmistakeable luxury. After
the material has been prepared, the bag is given its structure by inserting heat-sealed leather-finished supports. Each bag is then turned inside out and back again, in
keeping with Mademoiselle Chanels firm belief in the importance of hidden luxury: the inside should be as good as the outside. As a result, the same amount of care still
goes into the lining of each bag as goes into its exterior. You have to be extremely careful when turning it back so as not to damage the materials, comments one of the
craftsmen, before explaining that, Afterwards, we always roll the leather with our fingers to bring the stitching out, and lightly tap it back into shape.
The bags are then quilted using machines specially developed by CHANELs engineers, and this stage, though technical, is often one of the most creative in the
design process, as can be seen on the series of models inspired by the stained-glass windows of the abbey at Aubazine, where Coco Chanel grew up. Once the model
has been assembled, the attachments are added to ensure that the bag is instantly recognisable as a CHANEL original, notably in its clasps and chain straps.
On top of the checks carried out at every one of the 180 stages of production, each individual bag is then examined thoroughly by the quality control department. Each attachment is rigorously tested to ensure that it functions perfectly, before controllers check the quality of the stitching, the colouring, and the bags resistance to abrasion. High-tech climatic chambers are used to simulate extremely hot and humid conditions, in order to ensure each bag can withstand summers on every
continent. The bags spend around 72 hours at a temperature of 60 degrees Celsius and in 95% humidity. This level of testing is extremely rare in the luxury goods
industry, though it does not stop there: the leather is then checked for its resistance to UV rays, tearing and water.
After that, all that is left is the packaging, though this process is considered just as important as any other in production. Here, the certificate of authenticity
and tracking sticker are added, before the bag is stuffed with fine tissue paper to ensure it keeps its shape, and the metal of the strap is wrapped to prevent any damage to the leather. Each bag is then packed according to its exact shape, placed in the iconic black and white box and sent off to CHANELs distribution centre to be
shipped to boutiques around the world. And that is where the dreams really begin

Printed by Gerhard Steidl

12, SAS, Socit par Actions Simplifie capital de 80.200.000 $

542 052 766 RCS NANTERRE FRANCE

12 2008