Chanel pop up lands in Dover Street Market

Chanel has landed in Dover Street Market in a blaze of black and white decadence. Newsworthy stuff considering Chanel so closely guards its distribution channels and would not have taken this move lightly.

The Chanel presence is felt on all four floors of Dover Street Market; from the house on the first floor whose white awning shades a Chanel accessories stall, to the top floor where a Chanel bag and fragrance bar has taken over the back wall.

If pop-ups are the 'quirky brothers' of the core brand they represent, Chanel has certainly decided to reveal their funny side in Dover Street Market. Humorous twists have been added to a seriously premium, these include mannequins holding cocktail glasses and torso-less legs draped across Chanel seats.

Perhaps the most blatant expression of humour comes in the form of a profusion of Karl Lagerfeld life-size cardboard cut outs. They make the Market feel rather like a dog has come along and sprayed his scent all over it to mark out newly acquired territory. In the context of the store's already ecclectic pop-up feel, the need to 'Chanel-ise' the space is great. This is no place for subtle.

The essence of fashion infuses the infrastructure of some of the fixtures with the use of coat hangers as clothes rails and chair backs. Glass cabinets give the products a museum-esque feel of preciousness.

Somehow though, the Chanel pop-up collection lacks the absolute wow factor I expected. Perhaps because for all it's hard work to mark its territory, it is still set within an environment that is by all accounts a veritable playground of strong brand personalities. It would have been interesting to imagine how the collection could have lived in a more unexpected location where Chanel really could have made a splash. 

However, with its creative atmosphere and reputation as the epicentre of fashion and style, Dover Street Market does feel like a natural partner for Chanel to choose. 

Certainly, the art installations regularly showcased in the Market fit with Chanel’s positioning; as much a member of the art world as the world of design and fashion (Karl Lagerfeld is of the belief that design and art are one and the same). With the boundaries of art and fashion blurring, Dover Street Market and Chanel are at the forefront of the revolution.

For further evidence of Chanel’s commitment to creativity and art, the travelling Chanel Mobile Art Container needs only be seen. A pop up pavilion for various artists work all inspired by the iconic Chanel quilted bag, it has been in Hong Kong and Tokyo and will be coming to London in June 2009. The photo featured at the bottom here has been taken by ‘PTsang’ and is on flickr. Now this is where Pop-up Chanel (albeit as a brand experience rather than a merchandisable store) can really come into its own.