By Aaron Kok - published
There is fashion, and then there’s haute couture.
For almost two centuries since its first introduction into the world, haute couture has existed as the pinnacle of fashion: a practice that exalts the most minute and painstakingly-created details, showcases the most sumptuous fabrics hands can weave, and elevate fashion beyond its mere existence of clothing onto a plane of fine art.
Related article: “It Gives Me A Cloak Of Supportive Identity”: Tilda Swinton On Her Chanel Look At The 2025 Golden Globes
“It’s like a second skin, but an absolutely sumptuous one,” says Vanessa Paradis, in a new short film by Chanel.
First practised namelessly by the late queen Marie Antoinette’s modiste Rose Bertin, whose dresses spared few expenses and employed things like rose petals and gauzy silks in the workmanship, couture first developed its identity with the help of the couturier Charles Frederick Worth, who founded his own practice in 1858 in Paris. Since then, it’s been a rarified practice that is reserved for a select few fashion houses, all of whom follow an exacting set of rules that aims to continue the tradition and craftsmanship of expertly-crafted handmade garments.
A première’s hands at work.
It’s also this world of skilled artisans and historic traditions that Chanel continues to offer its couture clientele. Since the founding of the house—first as a hat boutique under the name Chanel Modes in 1910, before Coco Chanel revolutionised womenswear a few years later when she entered the world of couture in 1915—the Maison has prided itself as a fashion brand that offers modernity, freedom and a respect for craft in fashion.
The iconic Chanel store at 31 Rue Cambon
A full 110 years later, and the House of Chanel still stands as an emblem of excellence in the world of couture. In celebration of this historic anniversary, and ahead of its spring/summer 2025 haute couture presentation in Paris on Tuesday, Chanel has brought cameras into its ateliers to showcase a glimpse of the magic that goes into the creation of couture. Directed by Thierry Demaizière and Alban Teurlai, the five minute-long documentary offers Chanel-philes access into the inner workings, to watch Chanel’s premières as they go about perfecting the upcoming couture collection.
Inside the ateliers of Chanel
Related article: BAZAAR Editor’s Picks: Best Looks from Chanel Spring/Summer 25
As the film unfurls, catch glimpses of House muses Marion Cotillard, Naomi Campbell, Anna Mouglalis as well as Paradis, and listen to them recounting their experiences wearing Chanel’s haute couture creations in the past. “Chanel haute couture is embodied in the search for refinement,” says friend of the House, actress and model Mouglalis in the clip. “You touch on something almost eternal.”
Ahead, watch the short documentary to get a closer look at the process of couture and the genius hands that make it possible.