After a three-month stay in the Senegalese capital earlier this year, the Chanel exhibition Sur le fil: de Dakar à Paris (On the Thread: from Dakar to Paris) has moved to France. A showcase of the African textile artisans who inspired its Métiers d’art 2023 collection, the show, which was built over three years, features the work of 30 artists and artisans who draw upon the creative traditions of Senegal. In this collection, Senegalese craft is married to the French styling of the century-old Maison, creating a showcase of intricately constructed tweed and delicate beadwork.

Sur le fil: de Dakar à Paris is at the Galerie du 19M in Paris until July 30. The gallery opened last year as part of 19M, Chanel’s new multidisciplinary space housing 11 of the specialist companies – or madisons d’art – that support and diversify Chanel’s creative output, from Lesage (embroidery) to Massaro (shoemaking) to Lemarié (feathers and flowers). This building and the knowledge of the 600 people who work there are a testament to Chanel’s deep relationship with and investment in the specialist, traditional skills so fundamental to the House’s fashion and accessories.

The Métiers d’art 2023 collection that appears on these pages was photographed in the Galerie du 19M on the eve of its opening to the public. Having travelled over 2,600 miles, it felt as if it were enjoying a moment of stillness before it was received by the residents of its new home. This story is born of two cultural traditions and the long journey that connects them; it is a celebration of their common language of craft and care. ◉