A lesser-known fact about Chanel: the fashion house has always had a strong connection with literature. Gabrielle Chanel was a great supporter of writers, enjoying the close company of creative minds such as Pierre Reverdy, Jean Cocteau and Colette. Reading, to her, was a form of escape, a means to learning more about the world and a way to champion the authors she admired.
Karl Lagerfeld, too, was a prolific reader. In 1999, he founded the bookshop and library 7L, which was acquired by Chanel in 2021 to honour Lagerfeld and Chanel’s love for books. Today, the space stands preserved as a creative meeting point for literary and cultural endeavours. “I think that for both [Gabrielle and Karl], literature helped them see the world from a different perspective and it fed their creativity,” notes house ambassador and spokesperson Charlotte Casiraghi.
It is with this deep belief that Chanel created the Literary Rendezvous at Rue Cambon in 2021. Devised and curated by Casiraghi, the initiative brings together female writers and friends of Chanel to discuss their own works or those of celebrated literary figures. “It’s dreaming, I believe, that links fashion and literature. Both are a broadening of possibilities, an extension of the power of the imagination,” shares Casiraghi.
From intimate panel conversations to deep dives into the libraries of those closest to the house, the series aims to convey a passion for literature and shed light on its transformative power. Here, Casiraghi opens up on what she hopes to achieve with Literary Rendezvous at Rue Cambon and the reasons behind choosing the next author of focus, legendary French writer Colette.
Tell us about your personal connection to literature.
I’ve been lucky enough to grow up in houses that were filled with books. My mother is an avid reader and my great grandfather, Prince Pierre of Monaco, was a great patron of literature and the arts. As a teenager, I was impressed by Les Fleurs du Mal from Baudelaire and from this moment on, I developed a keen interest in literature and poetry. I then met Karl Lagerfeld and he introduced me to writers like Lou Andreas-Salomé and Emily Dickinson. He always encouraged me to study and read more, and used to gift me books all the time. One day, I received the full collection of Virginia Woolf’s diary. Her diaries still hold a special place in my personal library today.
How did Literary Rendezvous first come about?
I see this project as a continuation of the privileged relationship I had with Karl Lagerfeld. When I was invited by Chanel to devise a cultural project, I decided to focus on literature and women’s emancipation. Every few months, we invite a contemporary writer to come and discuss her work. It’s important for us to focus on the transformative power of literature. We’ve had the pleasure of receiving writers like Siri Hustvedt, Leïla Slimani and Rachel Cusk and we’ve also dedicated some encounters to historical figures like Lou Andreas-Salomé or Ingeborg Bachman. In addition to collaborating with established writers, we also wanted to support the new generation and that’s why we started ‘les Rencontres’ on Cambon Podcasts, shining a light on debut novelists. I am also extremely excited about the new literary prize we are launching with the Nouvel Obs in France. The first recipient of the prize will be announced next June. It’s a way for us to encourage debut novelists and support them with the writing of their second novel.
Have any particular episodes of Literary Rendezvous been especially memorable or meaningful to you?
It’s hard for me to pick just one episode, they all have been meaningful to me. Perhaps, the most memorable moments to me are the readings. I keep a strong memory of them: Keira Knightley’s reading of Virginia Woolf’s Professions for Women or Lyna Khoudri reading the first pages of Girl. You could see the emotion on Camille Laurens’s face at hearing her text being read aloud by someone else. Last year, I really enjoyed taking part in a conversation with Kristen Stewart and Jeanette Winterson on the power of literature. It is to foster these very special moments that we created the Literary Rendezvous.
Why was Colette chosen as the author of focus for the latest episode? What does she represent to you and why is she still so relevant today?
I particularly like her ability to reinvent herself. Throughout her life, despite the many disappointments she faced, she always found a way to bounce back. Whether through writing, theatre, music or business, she has multiplied her resources for emancipation and never locked herself into a particular role. The sensuality of her writing is extraordinary. Nobody writes like her. There’s something very physical in her style, in the way she chooses adjectives and arranges her sentences. Colette has a music of her own that can produce incredible sensations.
After watching the episode on Colette, what is one thing you hope that viewers will take away?
Colette had not just one life, but a thousand. She’s an adventurer and that’s what I love about her. It’s her stubborn refusal to give up, her cunning, her side-stepping, her paradoxes and her multiple lives that made her so precious to me over the years. She’s a true model of a free woman. I admire her courage in always freeing herself from any kind of straitjacket. I hope people will feel inspired by her freedom.
The December ‘Gratification’ issue of Vogue Singapore is available online and on newsstands now.
