If ever a car project demonstrated the linkage between the way a fashion designer interprets a brief and the way a car designer images a new project, then The Chanel Fiole is it.
Unveiled in early 2009 the Fiole was a design study created by student Jinyoung Jo for the degree show of Seoul’s Hong-ik University.
The essence of the brief was to encapsulate the brand values of the totemic brand headed up by Karl Lagerfeld in the shape of a vehicle.
Chanel is a brand, of course, fundamentally associated with luxury goods – from high end perfumery to exquisitely crafted handbags and other accessories.
Jo interpreted the overlapping, flowing lines of Chanel’s classic products and drew them together with a shell that subtly echoes the interlocking Chanel logo.
The result is a concept that crystallizes perfectly the things we imagine about the luxury brand.
You can see elements of the sweeping flow of art deco Bugattis from the between-the-war years, as well as hints of Aston-like styling in the classic 2+2 format loved by Chanel’s core consumer.
With Karl Lagerfeld at the helm, Chanel has been creating a whole range of products that diffuse Chanel’s brand-values into the marketplace.
Everything from Rugby balls, surf and snow boards, fishing kits and in-line skates have been glimpsed out there over the last couple of years.
It remains to be seen as to whether Chanel will commit to a real-life collaboration with a car maker.
If Lamborghini’s successful hookup with Versace is anything to go by, the fruits of such a coöperation could well be very interesting.
