Chanel tweed 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 clothing store since 1957 and have been reworked countless times over the years by designers Karl Lagerfeld and Virgine Viard.
It consists of tweed fabric, double C-buttons and a gold chain hidden in the hem.
In the past year, celebrities including Kendrick Lamar, South Korean actor Park Seo-joon and rapper G-Dragon have all been spotted wearing the coats — despite Chanel never making a men’s line.
The trend apparently started with singer Pharrell Williams, who has worn Chanel pieces for years and is now the men’s creative director for rival Luis Vuitton.
South Korean actor Park Seo-joon and Perfect Magazine’s editor-in-chief Bryan Yambao have both been seen in Chanel tweed jackets and suits over the past year.
The trend apparently started with singer Pharrell Williams wearing one of Chanel’s tweed jackets at an event celebrating 100 years of the Chanel No. 5 in 2021
Men who wear Chanel coats say they love the fabric and colors – and how it sets them apart from the crowd.
“At Chanel, I feel free,” Bryan Yambao, editor-in-chief of Perfect Magazine, tells the Wall Street Journal.
He said the brand suits him well as a five-foot-tall man, and he likes the variety and quality of Chanel textiles.
“I just feel like you’ve seen just about everything in menswear.”
Rolland Ryan, a model and designer based in Los Angeles, also explained, “Fashion men want to stand out.
“When I buy something from Chanel, whether it’s a bag, shirt or 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 man to wear today.”
Coco Chanel (pictured) designed the tweed jacket 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, which sets it apart from many of its competitors.
Brands like Prada and Gucci have also challenged the idea of gender in recent years by marketing menswear for women and womenswear for men.
Instead, Chanel markets men in other ways: colognes, watches, and skincare products.
Chanel is said to have been inspired to design the tweed suits after meeting the Duke of Westminster in Scotland in 1924
It doesn’t look like the brand will be changing that policy any time 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 — occasionally featured a man’s look or two 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 festive,” Silver said of men wearing the Chanel coats.
“And I feel like Coco Chanel would be very happy that her inspiration, coming from the men in her life, has now inspired the 21st century confident man to this completely modern 20th century way of dressing.”