The very first Chanel show in Singapore was held in 2013 by Karl Lagerfeld on Dempsey Hill at the Loewen Cluster, marking the maison’s debut show outside of Europe and the United States. Fast forward to 2025 and the anticipation for its return has been just as electric—and it’s little wonder why.
Staged at the storied Raffles Hotel, a fixture that crowns Singapore’s history, today’s Cruise 2026 collection arrived from the scenic Villa d’Este on Lake Como, Italy, where it first unveiled in April earlier this year. Among an intimate gathering of Tilda Swinton, Becky and household names such as Nathan Hartono, Benjamin Kheng and Shye, alongside VIPs and VICs, it felt like the city fell into a hush as a joyous magenta pink skirt suit opened the show.
Familiar Chanel muses Yoon Young Bae and Jade Nguyen shared the runway with Vogue Singapore cover stars Aslesha Williams, Suganya and Thuanh in what felt like a radiant celebration of what Singapore and our region have to offer. Earlier in the day, President of Chanel Bruno Pavlovsky spoke of Singapore—one of the youngest luxury markets in the world—as brimming with possibility and tonight’s spectacle felt like a resounding affirmation of that spirit.
Inspiration was drawn from the quirks of social rituals intertwined with the intimacy of private spaces. It was moving to witness the undoing of the notion that dressing for the tropics is impossible or indulgent. Look to the sumptuous suede slips cut with precision, the playfulness of white-robed sequins and tweed dresses cinched at the waist with ease and elegance and the macramé knits in delicate skirt co-ords and shorts—each imbued with a sensuality and lightness that felt unmistakably Chanel. As Tilda Swinton reflected earlier today, speaking to students from NAFA, LASALLE and ESSEC among others, there was something Gabrielle Chanel recognised in tweed—once the fabric of farmers, used for its resilience and ability to weather the elements—that no one else did. And today on our shores, that same vision came alive once more.
