Chanel to Reprise Cruise 2025 Show in Hong Kong

HIT REPEAT: Chanel plans to stage a repeat showing of its cruise 2025 collection in Hong Kong on Nov. 5, cementing the city’s return to the international stage.

“This event seals historic ties with the city and celebrates Chanel’s attachment to Hong Kong SAR as well as the vibrancy and modernity of its culture,” the French luxury brand said in a statement on Monday.

Chanel had previously canceled a planned repeat showing of its cruise 2019 collection in Hong Kong, slated to take place at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, due to mass demonstrations. 

Hit by drastic restrictions during the coronavirus pandemic, the special administrative region has returned to hosting a series of high-profile events in the last 12 months, including the Louis Vuitton men’s pre-fall 2024 collection in November.

But the cancellation of the Dior men’s pre-fall show, due to take place on March 23 in the run-up to Art Basel Hong Kong, shook confidence in its comeback.  

Chanel’s cruise 2025 line was presented in Marseille on May 2 on the rooftop of the Cité Radieuse, one of the flagship midcentury housing projects of architect Le Corbusier, in front of celebrities including Lily-Rose Depp, Charlotte Casiraghi and Phoebe Tonkin.

Speaking before the event, Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, said he had just returned from a trip to China.

He reported that domestic spending there was down as Chinese nationals resume traveling abroad, but said Chanel’s overall business with Chinese consumers continues to increase. Pavlovsky, who stopped over in Hong Kong during the trip, said the repeat show would be staged in an urban setting.

“Our business is excellent, we have important projects,” he said, pointing to sustained demand from local residents and visitors from mainland China. “Hong Kong will remain a very important center of activity for us in China.” 

The local authority has been investing heavily in bringing global attention back to the city through a cultural lens, particularly with the 2022 establishment of a Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau.

In 2023, the city’s gross domestic product grew by 3.2 percent following a 3.5 percent contraction the previous year. The city benefited from a rise of inbound tourism and retail spending, but its growth was hampered by China’s lackluster post-pandemic recovery.

Last year, Chanel held its repeat cruise show in Shenzhen, marking its first major event in mainland China since before the pandemic.