17 April 2023 |
Nothing stuns quite like a pair of Chanel glasses. They’re the one thing everybody needs when that big ball of fire in the sky starts beating down so hot hot hot – and by the dozen ideally. So it’s clearly fate that a whole slew of new Chanel styles are on offer for the spring/summer 2023 season.
Lensed by Karim Sadli, the exclusive campaign captures the heyday of the nightclub in nostalgic polaroid style with the heady essense of disco and the carefree ‘70s spirit seeping into every portrait. Within, a series of timeless black sunnies with quilted-effect arms or decorative chains emerge, ideal for blocking out the haters. Elsewhere, beefed up, bug-eyed round frames, with their smooth curves are the perfect hangover hiders. The retro aviators on the other hand, feel nice and classic, while a set of extravagantly oversized optical frames in pearly cream and baby pink are like delicate little objects of desire for all your nerdy needs.
Alongside models Vivienne Rohner and HyunJi Shin, multi-Grammy award-winning cult musician and sunglasses-savant Nile Rodgers wears a dazzling pair that feature a panel of black tweed on the arm – a nod to the emblematic tweed suiting that has defined the house for generations. Aside from the sunnies, the writer, composer, arranger and producer of some of the most reputed tracks of the last 50 years wears a custom black Chanel beret atop his distinguishing dreads.
Here, in a quick-fire style interview between talents, Rodgers, Rohner and Shin talk about all things chic, shaded and Chanel.
Vivienne Rohner: “Nile, I’ve read that John Lee Hooker once told you to never get photographed without sunglasses, is that true, and have you always stuck to his advice?”
Nile Rodgers: “Yes, it’s true. I had a TV show on VH-1 and John Lee Hooker was a guest playing on it. After, he pulled me aside and said: “That’s the rule of cool, never get your photograph taken without sunglasses on!” I’ve worn them ever since.”
HyunJi Shin: “Do you wear your glasses in bed?”
NR: “Yes. I wear my sunglasses in bed because they’re prescription, but I take them off whilst sleeping.”
VR: “We all know from your song that ‘le freak is chic’. Tell us some other unexpectedly chic things?”
NR: “My band, my friends, my goals, and most artists. All stylish people anywhere are chic to me. “Fashion becomes unfashionable. But style endures,” Coco Chanel once said!”
HS: “What are the first three songs that come to your mind when you are asked to talk about your own songs?”
NR: “Good Times, “I’m Coming Out,” and “Le Freak.” “Good Times” was the musical template for the 1st commercial hip hop song, “Rapper’s Delight.” “I’m Coming Out” was our way of paying tribute to the massive queer community who supported CHIC and Diana Ross. It was a positive double entendre as it is also the opening song of her live show and has been for more than forty years.”
VR: “What’s the best party you’ve ever been to?”
NR: “President Obama’s last White House Party and The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee at Buckingham Palace.”
VR: “How did you connect with the House of Chanel and how does it feel to become the face of this campaign?”
NR: “I was playing a Chanel party at La Vigie, Karl Lagerfeld’s residence in Monaco, and between soundcheck and the show I started playing “dress-up”. I’m only guessing that someone noticed how comfortably I could do my version of Chanel style. Then I was asked to be the face of the next eyewear campaign. I had no words. I was honored, humbled and frankly shocked.”
HS: “It was so fun to listen to you perform at the Chanel Cruise show in Miami, feet in the sand. How was this moment?”
NR: “I live in Miami, and I love working with everyone I work with at Chanel. So… It was absolutely amazing. And I could walk to work.”
HS: “What does Chanel mean to you?”
NR: “The highest and most prestigious luxury fashion house… but then we went to Dakar together in December [for the 2022/23 Métiers d’art show] and I saw another side of Chanel. I saw a commitment to beauty, artistry and respect for all people’s ability to display their own style, comfort and beliefs through their garments and adornments.”
VR: “How did you feel about being there in Dakar and being part of this experience?”
NR: “This was very emotional. Looking out my window at the Island of Gorée, The House of Slaves and The Door of No Return, where millions of slaves were sold to create the world we now live in was heart-breaking. But the trip was also uplifting because the locals that I met were loving and forward looking and thinking. I went to lunch and celebrated the future with them. I didn’t visit the island and lament the past.”
NR: “Do you wear sunglasses to hide, see or be seen?”
HS: “To see and avoid the sun.”
NR: “Do you remember when and where we first met? How does it feel to be reunited here in this campaign?”
HS: “I met you in Miami and it was an honor. Nile you are a legend.”
VR: “We have crossed paths now in a couple of corners of the world. The first time was in Monaco at the Cruise show last year. We met again in Miami and I have listened to your song, “Le Freak”, at least one thousand times and it does not get old. It was the song to get us into the mood of the campaign. We traveled back in time to Andy Warhol‘s night outs with his polaroid camera. That must have been a fun time to be alive.”
NR: “What are your thoughts on wearing sunglasses inside?”
VR: “Not everybody wants to reveal their mirrors to the world. I, myself, wear tinted glasses a lot. They make me feel more at ease, and not everything has to be said and revealed at the first encounter.”
HS: “It’s good for your eyes to avoid bright lights, especially flashes! Also, it just honestly looks cool.”
NR: “You embody so many different facets of Chanel. How is it different from other houses?”
HS: “Chanel is special. The atmosphere is always warm, everyone makes you feel very valuable – it is family.”
NR: “HyunJi, you opened the Chanel Cruise show in Miami last November. How do you feel to be a face of the House? Do you have any memories of Chanel growing up?”
HS: “I always feel honored and proud to be a Chanel model. I want to be with Chanel forever!! Karl Lagerfeld, who first gave me the opportunity to walk in a show, then took me for a campaign, which is where my journey started. Since then, Virginie has cared for me so much that she has become family. Thank you for always giving me the prettiest clothes and glasses to walk down the runway in!”
Photography by Karim Sadli. Shop the Chanel 2023 Eyewear range here.
