MORE THAN AN ICON
The legendary CHANEL 11.12 bag is the star of the maison’s latest campaign, entitled The Chanel Iconic. It is time to discover why the historic design deserves a pedestal in this modern age.
Take a closer look at the legendary Chanel 11.12 bag starring in the maison’s latest campaign entitled The Chanel Iconic
IN A GENERATION WHERE TRENDS ARE CONSISTENTLY INCONSISTENT, at times wild and often short-lived, Chanel provides discerning fashionistas with a beacon of style, grace, and femininity. The Chanel 11.12 bag is an irrefutable status symbol, carrying the maison’s history and the avant-gardist vision of Gabrielle Chanel.
Commonly referred to as the Chanel Flap bag, the history of the 11.12 bag dates to 1955, when Gabriel Chanel first presented the epochal 2.55 bag to consumers. Her creation changed the handbag history. It subsequently became acceptable for women of high social stature to carry the accessory on their shoulders. In every way, the 2.55 is the original Chanel shoulder bag and a meaningful icon, representing the power of one woman’s unique ability to change views.
Later, when Karl Lagerfeld became the creative director of Chanel in 1983, he was on a mission to revolutionise the fashion scene of the 1980s. In this era, the 2.55 bag became the foundation for the 11.12 bag. The quilted shoulder style saw the replacement of its rectangular lock with a double-C turn-style clasp. Meanwhile, the 2.55 chain-link strap was updated to a metal chain, interwoven with leather for a tastefully decorative contrast of soft leather and gleaming hardware. The 11.12 iteration rose in popularity and secured its place as a cult classic, where it remains to this day.
Each stunning detail of the 11.12 bag reflects the house’s heritage, bearing all the hallmarks of a bag created by a couturière. It is a work of art on the inside and out. The bag in a bag concept works according to the piqué retourné or turn-and-stitch technique, held in place with points de bride stitches. The style also includes seven functional pockets, including a discreet zipped pocket place inside the flap, ideal for money and secret love letters.
On the surface, diamond-quilted topstitching with the point droit de couturière technique envelopes the top of the bag for ornamentation that takes inspiration from the equestrian world, so precious to Gabrielle Chanel. The 11.12 model comes in different variations from supple lambskin leather to grained caviar calfskin, along with ready-to-wear fabrications that include jersey, tweed, silk, velvet and denim.
It takes about five years for an artisan in one of five Chanel ateliers to master the technique of crafting the classic bag. The selection process for skin is rigorous. Tanneries are required to adhere to Chanel’s strict standards to guarantee quality and lustre. With more than 180 processes in its production and meticulous quality checks, each bag requires up to 15 hours to create.
As functional as it is stylish, the Chanel 11.12 bag is suited to the pace of everyday life for every woman. Fittingly able to transcend the test of time, the classic bag deserves recognition as an accessory destined for handing down as a treasured heirloom for generations to come.