Tune into Chanel’s Latest Cultural Podcast – Chanel Connects

On January 15th, Chanel launched the first episode of its new cultural podcast, The Chanel Podcast, that brings together some of the most well-known and famous personalities from film, art, architecture, dance, fashion, who all also happen to be friends of the Maison.

The podcast episodes bring to light intimate conversations regarding what went down in 2020 and the future of culture and the arts, which has undoubtedly been completely transformed since the pandemic started. 

Featuring some of the world’s most celebrated talents, from Pharrell Williams and Kiera Knightley to Lulu Wang, Eliza Hittman, Arthur Jafa and more, the personalities all self-record their take on the new cultural frontiers of 2021, as stages, galleries, stages and the arts reopen – or remain shut – in a completely different world. 

Comprising seven episodes, some of the talents are old friends whereas others meet for the first time on air; all converge to speak on a particular topic and share insightful commentaries and analyses about the culture and the arts. 

Take a look at the episode list here: 

1. Who’s in the Picture?

   Actor Tilda Swinton talks to Edward Enninfu, Editor in Chief of British Vogue – Led by Nicholas Cullinan, Director of the National Portrait Gallery. Topics discussed: Evolving the culture of celebrity, making work stand for something, acting as a form of portraiture and more.

2. The New Heroines

   Actress Keira Knightley talks to Writer, Director and American filmmaker Lulu Wang – Led by Writer and Producer Diane Solway. Topics discussed: Growing up on screwball comedies, the need for strong women on both sides of the camera, second changes, testing moments and more.

3. Imagining New Worlds

   Music producer, entrepreneur and designer Pharrell Williams talks to artist and stage designer Es Devlin – Led by Chanel’s Global Head of Arts and Culture, Yana Peel. Topics discussed: How tech is changing us, the need to elevate Black entrepreneurs, how creative expression evolves across generations and more.

4. Fashion’s Untold Stories

   Creative Consultant and Writer Amanda Harlech talks to Andrew Bolton, Curator in charge of the Costume Institute of the Metropolitan Museum in New York City –  Led by Tim Blanks, Editor-at-Large of The Business of Fashion. Topics discussed: the viscerality of fashion, unearthing forgotten stories and perspectives from fashion history, and more.

5. Can Dancers Social Distance?

   Choreographer Akram Khan talks to Tamara Rojo, the Artistic Director of English National Ballet and a lead principal dancer – Led by James Whiteside, principal dancer at American Ballet Theatre. Topics discussed: pushing the boundaries of dance through unexpected collaborations, how recent events may lead to new innovations in performance, contemplating a life after dance, and more.

6. The Lure of the Risky Choice

   Conversation between Directors Garrett Bradley and Eliza Hittman – led by Rajendra Roy, the Chief Film Curator at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  Topics discussed: They talk about using drama and documentary to tell political stories in innovative ways, how everyday women navigate systems stacked against them, and more.

7. Seeing the Unseen

   Artist Arthur Jafa talks to painter and winner of the 2020 Rome Prize, Jennifer Packer – Led by Hans Ulrich Obrist, Curator and Artistic Director of the Serpentine Galleries in London. Topics discussed: the social, political and historical ways their work can be viewed, what makes a piece of art successful, complicating the word “success”, public and private mourning, and more.  

CHANEL Connects is now available on the CHANEL podcast 3.55 through Spotify, Apple and Chanel.com.