Chanel / Zaha Hadid

"Inject Relevance Back into Architecture". By Lukasz Swiderski. The Hoya, 11.04.08. 

excerpted text: 

“The pavilion sets out to drape an aura of refinement over a cynical marketing gimmick. Surveying its self-important exhibits, you can’t help but hope that the era of exploiting the so-called intersection of architecture, art and fashion is finally over.” (Nicolai Ouroussoff)

Chanel Mobile Art

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Chanel Mobile Art. Chanel Spring Street, New York

Chanel Mobile Art - Tokyo

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Chanel Mobile Art. Mengly Taing. WWD Scoop. Spring 2008. 

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May 31-July 4. National Yoyogi Stadium Olympic Plaza, 2-1-1 Jinnan, Tokyo. 

Karl Lagerfeld / Zaha Hadid

Partnership of the Traveling Bags. By Matt Tyrnauer. Vanity Fair. June 2008. 

excerpted quotes:

"He wanted to make an event to mark the 50th year of the Chanel handbag - a touring art exhibit related to the fashion house. I said, why not? But I have a better idea. Why not build a museum that travels? Why don't we ask somebody like Zaha Hadid?" (Karl Lagerfeld)

“She was impressed, because she had done a similar project when she was a student—a house like prêt-à-porter, a place that you could simply buy and move from one place to another. And we formed this project in a very short time, because in her mind, and perhaps in her archives, the project already existed.” (Karl Laferfeld)

“I do everything, not because I’m bossy, but just because I think what I do is a better idea. Now, for a movie you need a set, and though I design the catwalks for my shows and even boutique windows, I always thought Zaha was a genius. I discovered her sketches before she even had people who could build her places—they were technically too difficult for them—and I knew it was going to cost a lot, but I wanted her to make this pavilion for Chanel.” (Karl Lagerfeld)

"In the show, 20 artists interpret the Chanel bag as a cultural totem, among them Yoko Ono, Stephen Shore, Pierre and Gilles, and Nobuyoshi Araki, whose sadomasochistic images of a woman bound with the Chanel bag’s gold-chain straps are a favorite of Lagerfeld’s." (Matt Tyrnauer)

“I’m not an art critic, so don’t ask me too much about what’s in the container. I hate this complex of the fashion world with art. There’s no reason to have complexes. (Karl Lagerfeld)

"Designers’ art—whatever it is—has to be applied art, because nobody’s wearing it otherwise. If it’s a concept—and maybe it is conceptual—then we have galleries, and in that case it should not be in a fashion show. Balenciaga, Chanel—they never had this complex. They never even did a retrospective of their work in their lifetime. I am proud to be in trade, but I know designers who say, ‘I’m not a designer—I’m an artist who’s been picked to do collections.’ Ugh.” (Karl Lagerfeld)

“I’m not a curator, and I don’t even collect art anymore. People don’t collect art today; they come because of the prices. I don’t like art in private life. I don’t really care what I own or what I don’t own. I sold all of my art, because modern art is really only beautiful when it is displayed in huge places. If you live in an airport, fine. But I live on the Quai Voltaire, so where do you put this stuff?” (Karl Lagerfeld)

“I chose Zaha because I think architecture is the real art of today. There are great things built today even in countries we never go to—stunning, unbelievable—and there’s something very interesting and exciting going on with architecture in the 21st century. What I think is great about Zaha Hadid is that she found a way to break the grip of the post-Bauhaus. The Bauhaus was great, but the shit that came after it and that covered the world—all the cheap copies—was monstrous, no? So, here you have this woman who is a genius, making things that cannot compare to anything you have seen before. What’s better than that?” (Karl Lagerfeld)

“For me, it’s magical. When I first saw it in Hong Kong—at night especially, surrounded by tall buildings—I thought, This is something that hasn’t happened before. This is really a 200 percent 21st-century event.” (Karl Lagerfeld)

Takashi Murakami / Karl Lagerfeld / Carine Roitfeld

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Time 100. Takashi Murakami / Karl Lagerfeld / Carine Roitfeld. Time. 05.12 .08. 

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"Our collaboration has produced a lot of works and has been a huge influence and inspiration to many. It has been and continues to be a monumental marriage of art and commerce. The ultimate crossover—one for both the fashion and art history books. The best part is that it continues, it grows, it morphs and still excites. Our efforts have come full circle. And I get to keep playing this game of catch ball with a great artist—and friend."(Marc Jacobs on Takasi Murakami)

"Now, through his work, fashion originates from the street, the media—anywhere. This has resulted in exciting collections that are provocative and sensual. His unrelenting experimentation in fashion, art and photography offers us endless possibilities yet is always grounded and relevant." (Zaha Hadid on Karl Lagerfeld)

"With time I discovered that we shared a few principles: a preference for the "now" rather than the "new," a preference for imperfection rather than so-called good taste and an attitude driven by intuition rather than reason. Most of all, she has an innate ability to mix street culture and society, always avoiding the caricatures that can define both worlds and always recognizing the mix of both worlds as the only catalyst of energy and creativity." (Hedi Slimane on Carine Roitfeld)

Chanel Mobile Art / Hong Kong

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Hong Kong Star. Vogue Paris. May 2008. 

Biggest Brains in Business

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73 Biggest Brains in Business. Conde Nast Portfolio. Marc Jacobs / Zaha Hadid / Karl Lagerfeld / You Minjun. May 2008. 

excerpted text:

"He [Marc Jacobs] has made a career of reinventing his designs and his personal style, which the fashion world pays almost as much attention to."

"She [Zaha Hadid]makes things you couldn't make before. (Rolf Fehlbaum, Chairman of Vitra)

"Lagerfeld has managed to sell himself without selling out."

Since the auctions, prices for Yue's work and that of his peers have jumped, helping make Chinese art a must-have for many big-name collectors in the business world..."

Big Fun

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Big Fun. Miles Socha. W. May 2008. 

excerpted text and quotes:

"Everything these days has to occur in a bigger way in order to get people's attention: The volume on everything has to be turned up." (Marc Jacobs)

"And Boucheron inveiled its latest high-jewelry creations during the January couture amid contemporary artworks by Damien Hirst, Richard Prince and others on loan from billionaire Francois Pinault, who controls Boucheron parent company Gucci Group." (Miles Socha)

:In February an otherworldy pavilion designed by notes architect Zaha Hadid called Mobile Art, which houses artworks inspired by Chanel's iconic quilted bags, landed in a parking garage in Hong Kong. Like a UFO, it's next off to Tokyo, them Mew York and other worlds capitals. 'To find a gallery in each city [for the exhibition], that's boring', says Lagerfeld. Chiquet declines to say how much the project cost, but emphasizes, 'Chanel will continue to invest appropriately in ideas that intrigue, surprise and amuse our customers...[It] reinforces its myth - surprising, and provoking the public.'" (Miles Socha)

Chanel Mobile Art Pavillon

Chanel Mobile Art Pavillion by Zaha Hadid. Hong Kong.