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CHANEL invites you to live a unique experience in a festive and immersive setting. The curtain rose on December 15, and CHANEL unveils the beginning of this olfactory odyssey. Welcome to Le Grand Numéro de CHANEL exhibition. Let go of everything you think you know during a unique sensory reset and, led by a ringmaster of life and freedom, push open the imposing black-trimmed white doors in front of you and embark on unexpected adventures.
The journey begins in the middle of a colossal square, a hub of possibility. Beneath a sky full of sparkling symbols, the space comes to life, shining briefly but brightly. Take the time to listen to the walls talk and to recognize the shapes of emblematic, larger-than-life bottles, each an entrance to another dimension. You can visit the exhibition official website to see more: https://grand-numero.chanel.com
The essence of CHANEL perfumery is a taste for that which cannot be defined, the expression of a style rather than an ingredient. Each CHANEL fragrance is a train of thought, a complex composition in which every raw material is sharpened, resulting in an olfactory kaleidoscope. A living fragrance is like a concentrated form of vital energy that evolves according to each person’s unique skin chemistry.
“CHANEL perfumery has an existential aim. LE GRAND NUMÉRO DE CHANEL is an emotional journey, an opportunity to discover every facet of a fragrance and the role it plays”
Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur,
Head of Global Creative Resources for Fragrance & Beauty, Fine Jewelry & Watches
CHANEL N°5 – The Revolutionary Icon
Welcome to 1921. You will be travelling back in time to play the role of Ernest Beaux: a talented perfumer who has been asked by a very popular designer to create a fragrance that is «artificial like a dress.» During this immersive, multi-sensory experience, you will meet Gabrielle Chanel, who is patiently waiting to discover your work. She chooses the 5th sample you present to her and decides to name it after her favourite number. She, who presents her collections on the fifth day of the fifth month of the year, hopes this will bring it luck…
You will not only be participating in a reenactment: through virtual reality, you will be able to truly experience this moving, historic moment, the creation of N°5.
“When Ernest Beaux presented her with the fifth sample, it was a striking revelation; Gabrielle Chanel didn’t choose this new fragrance, she recognized it.”
Hélène Fulgence,
Director of Patrimoine de CHANEL
As an icon with a century of legend behind it, did you think you knew everything there was to know about the world’s most famous fragrance? Prepare to travel through space and time on a journey to artistic and olfactory exploration. Lose yourself in its world, absorb its power, experience its revolution…
CHANCE, The Freedom of Following your own path
Like Gabrielle Chanel, who was determined to create a chance for herself, take your chance and use it to your advantage in the electric backstage atmosphere. Tread the boards of this cabaret, which serves as a reminder that, while singing on stage in Moulins around the year 1901, Gabrielle Chanel became Coco. Spin the wheel of fortune. The prizes are real, and your luck will never run out. Count on the four faces of CHANCE to mirror your own and make you feel incredibly alive.
BLEU: More than a colour, a true statement
Is it 6 o’clock in the morning or 6 o’clock at night? Is the sun coming up, or is the day drawing to a close? It takes you a moment to acclimate to the blue-hued twilight. Squint, listen, breathe… You are immersed in a multi-sensory world, floating through a city as you would float in the ocean. Peer into the windows of the buildings and skyscrapers as they come to life. What are they trying to tell you? Why does this music sound familiar? The lights in the sky… Where do they lead? Will you get lost or find yourself? Use your senses to experience the world in BLEU. Trust them—they will help you gather clues that will grant you entry to a highly select speakeasy, where you can imbibe to your heart’s content to the sound of jazz and blues.
COCO MADEMOISELLE is about passion and love
Gabrielle Chanel’s passions were reflected in her creations because she is someone who loved deeply. She loved the romantic heroines of great novels, who experienced intense love without ever allowing it—and certainly never a man—to hinder them.
In this soft new world, you have set off on the heels of a mysterious temptress—but who? Your only compass is a set of clues. A surprisingly fresh amber scent, unexpected for its time, yet essential. A vague memory of a slender silhouette. A warm, sensual voice… This dazzling tunnel overwhelms your senses. Are the lights wavering, or has your own notion of time and space become warped? Finding her is a chess match, where she is the queen, and you are a mere pawn like the rest. Unless… What if a single drop of perfume was all it took to transform you, to prove that it is, in fact, you, the true master of the game?
LES EXCLUSIFS DE CHANEL: Assert your personality
You are invited to the private view of a collection of 18 moving works of art, characters with strong personalities. Prepare to be amazed, and take a moment to complete the scent version of a Rorschach test in order to find your alter ego among the 18 LES EXCLUSIFS DE CHANEL fragrances.
Evoking an idea, a character, each scent has a unique and unmatched hallmark. Every LES EXCLUSIFS DE CHANEL fragrance is a surprise, one that inspires awe and emotion. Inimitable, they are full of mystery and elegance, luxury and daring.
“Fragrance is a connection to the world around us, a way of displaying ourselves to the world; it expresses our personality just like the clothes we wear or our mannerisms. Fragrance reveals yet another facet, something that cannot be conveyed any other way”
Oliver Polges,
CHANEL In-House Perfumer-Creator
Gabrielle Chanel’s passions were reflected in her creations because she is someone who loved deeply. She loved the romantic heroines of great novels, who experienced intense love without ever allowing it—and certainly never a man—to hinder them.
In this soft new world, you have set off on the heels of a mysterious temptress—but who? Your only compass is a set of clues. A surprisingly fresh amber scent, unexpected for its time, yet essential. A vague memory of a slender silhouette. A warm, sensual voice… This dazzling tunnel overwhelms your senses. Are the lights wavering, or has your own notion of time and space become warped? Finding her is a chess match, where she is the queen, and you are a mere pawn like the rest. Unless… What if a single drop of perfume was all it took to transform you, to prove that it is, in fact, you, the true master of the game?
In the grand opening of this amazing exhibition, many celebrities, friends of CHANEL had the chance to discover the exhibition. From Marion Cottilard, to Carole Bouquet, Keira Knightley, Angèle, Seo-Jun Park, Giveon to Mark Prin, all the CHANEL family joined the grand show the time of a visit.
The exhibition started on December 15th 2022 and will last until January 9th 2023 at the Grand Palais ephemere in Paris. More information, please connect to the official website here: https://grand-numero.chanel.com.
José Amorim
Information sourced by the author for luxuryactivist.com. All content is copyrighted with no reproduction rights available. Images are for illustration purposes only. Featured image credits: CHANEL.
