Chanel tweed suit jackets designed for women have become a new must-have item for male stars and models.
The tweed jackets have been a staple of the luxury clothier since 1957 and have been reworked numerous times over the years by designers Karl Lagerfeld and Virgine Viard.
It comprises tweed fabric, double C buttons and a gold chain hidden in the hem.
Over the past year, celebrities including Kendrick Lamar, South Korean actor Park Seo-joon and rapper G-Dragon have all been seen wearing the jackets — despite Chanel never making a men’s line.
The trend apparently began with singer Pharrell Williams, who has worn Chanel pieces for years and is now the men’s creative director of rival Luis Vuitton.
South Korean actor Park Seo-joon and Perfect Magazine Editor-in-Chief Bryan Yambao have both been seen wearing Chanel tweed jackets and suits over the past year
The trend apparently started with singer Pharrell Williams, who wore one of Chanel’s tweed jackets for an event celebrating 100 years of the fragrance Chanel No. 5 in 2021
Men who wear Chanel jackets say they like the fabric and colors — and how it makes them stand out from the others.
‘In Chanel, I feel free,’ Perfect Magazine Editor-in-Chief Bryan Yambao told the Wall Street Journal.
He said the brand fits him well as a 5-foot-8-inch tall man, and he likes the variety and quality of Chanel textiles.
‘I just feel like with menswear, you’ve pretty much seen it all.’
Rolland Ryan, a model and designer based in Los Angeles, also explained: ‘Fashion men want to stand out.
‘When I purchase from Chanel, whether it be a bag, shirt, jacket, I know I won’t see anyone else wearing it.’
Yashua Simmons, a designer, even called Chanel clothes ‘the ultimate unexpected thing for a guy to have on today.’
Coco Chanel (pictured) designed the tweed jackets in the 1920s and it became a staple of her clothing line in the 1950s. The brand has never run a men’s line
Over the years, designers Karl Lagerfeld, left, and Virgine Viard, right, have reworked Chanel’s original look
Chanel has never designed a clothing line specifically for men, separating it from many of its competitors.
Brands like Prada and Gucci have also been questioning the idea of gender in recent years, marketing menswear for women and women’s clothing for men.
Instead, Chanel markets to men in other ways — producing colognes, watches and skin-care products.
Chanel was said to have been inspired to design the tweed suits after meeting the Duke of Westminster in Scotland in 1924
It does not seem likely that the brand will change that policy soon, as Viard, the current designer, is known for her feminine designs.
Chanel’s previous designer, Lagerfeld — who was remembered at this year’s Met Gala, would occasionally put one or two men’s looks in his shows, which are now considered collectibles, according to Cameron Silver, the founder of Decades.
He pointed out that Coco Chanel’s original inspiration for the tweed jacket was menswear after meeting the Duke of Westminster in Scotland in 1924.
She then made it a cornerstone of her brand in the 1950s.
‘I think it’s celebratory,’ Silver said of men wearing the Chanel jackets.
‘And I have a feeling Coco Chanel would be delighted that her inspiration, coming from the men in her life, has now inspired the 21st-century confident male to this completely modern 20th-century way of dressing.’
