Why CHANEL isn’t Cool Anymore
Read, Listen or Both
I am delighted to welcome you to the launch of The LAST Square - a digital publication at the intersection of luxury, art, strategy and technology. Conceptualized specifically for you, the modern creative entrepreneur.
Our first edition explores what is perhaps the most iconic brand of all time, Chanel.
Chanel once perfectly captured the aesthetic of luxury and feminism. But today, its narrative feels outdated and disconnected from the cultural pulse. The brand relies on its heritage without evolving, lacking the emotional resonance modern audiences crave.
Simply put, Chanel is losing its cool factor by failing to authentically connect with the modern consumer on a human level. This starkly contrasts with the cultural mood post-pandemic, which yearns for real human connection.
As a society, we want to see behind the curtain of perfectly curated feeds. We want to experience something real, handmade, unfiltered and unstaged - something that feels authentically human. Brands that recognize this and lead with empathy as well as innovation will earn modern loyalty.
As a creative strategist, I partner with creative brands to shape bespoke narratives that cut through the noise to authentically engage modern audiences. The brands I work with understand that creativity is the one thing that cannot be copied or commodified.
At Luxe Operandi, we believe storytelling is the bridge between physical and digital worlds that creates this new reality.
Through The Last Square, I invite you to explore the shifting aesthetics, ethics and experiences redefining modern creative branding.
Welcome to a new era of storytelling.
Hadassah Cordoba
Founder, Luxe Operandi
Chapter 1: WHEN LUXURY FEELS LIKE A PERFORMANCE
The preparations for the Chanel store opening on New York’s Madison Ave were akin to those preceding a Broadway opening night. Associates rehearsed greeting customers with a reserved smile that hovered somewhere between welcoming and contempt. Floor managers drilled protocols for elegantly draping quilted bags over pristine glass cases housing triple-digit lip glosses. The champagne was chilled, the Camellias perfectly coiffed - the stage set for an experience poised to reinforce why the iconic double C’s commanded Manhattan’s highest price tags.
Yet the curtain rose to a lackluster audience trickling through the grand entrance with more apprehension than awe. As associates withheld eye contact to give an air of exclusivity, shoppers shifted uncomfortably, intimidated rather than enthralled. They wandered the sleek white counters and minimalist displays feeling less like VIPs and more like intruders in a museum without a map.
Eventually, most would succumb to the pressure to purchase something, anything, simply to justify the aloof treatment by associates whose manner embodied snobbery rather than personalized service. They would leave clutching the iconic black and white bags housing makeup and perfumes, vainly hoping these could buy cultural capital on social media that the in-store experience failed to deliver.
Meanwhile uptown, an alternate retail theater was unfolding to rave reviews at Gucci’s new five-story flagship. Steps from Central Park, smiling associates ushered visitors through rooms bustling with color, music and espresso bars. Like guests at a lavish soiree, they lounged on plush velvet couches while associates eagerly showcased the latest collection's statement pieces, inviting them to stay for complimentary champagne, chocolates or monogramming services. The flagship so effectively immersed clients in the Gucci universe, they lost track of time in this high-touch retail escape where personalization reigned supreme.
And therein marked the growing chasm between Chanel’s increasingly pretentious vision of luxury and the experiential approach pioneered by its competitors. So blinded by its haughty legacy, Chanel failed to recognize the paradigm shift in what modern luxury consumers craved. Shoppers still sought quality craftsmanship yet desired approachable, tailored interactions versus the performative, inauthentic airs they encountered at Chanel. They wished to personally connect with associates immersed in the brand’s rich heritage versus feeling dismissed by salespeople posing as gatekeepers to an impenetrable elite world.
Until Chanel recognizes that intimacy, not exclusivity, now fuels meaningful luxury, more shoppers will continue their migration from the glassy Madison Ave outpost to the innteractive experiences at other brands.
Chapter 2: HOW SOCIAL MEDIA KILLED CHANEL’S BRAND
It is a warm spring afternoon on Rue Cambon, and the sound of clicking heels on cobblestone fills the Parisian air. Outside the original Maison Chanel, stylish young women drift by, barely casting a glance at the iconic storefront. Clad in effortless Sezane blouses and vintage Hermès Kelly bags sourced from local thrift shops, this generation of cool girls breezes past Chanel’s signature double C’s without a second look.
Inside the sleek black and white boutique, navigating the storied mirrored staircase, sales associates wearing tweed Chanel jackets attempt to engage passing shoppers who brush them off while tourists pose for Instagram photos outside. The few who enter walk slowly through the rooms, seeming almost disappointed by collections that were once the absolute embodiment of French girl chic.
This shift is no accident. In a social media-fueled age, the House of Chanel is grappling to retain its aura of timeless exclusivity and luxury craftsmanship. As influencers and celebrities flood feeds with images decked out head-to-toe in the interlocking CC logo, Chanel is becoming almost too ubiquitous, too mass, to retain that elusive prestige.
Desperate to remain relevant with young, digitally-native customers, Chanel has tried embracing influencer culture, bestowing ambassador contracts onto reality television stars and Instagram it-girls because of their follower counts. Yet in doing so, Chanel's distinctly elevated essence gets diluted amongst viral unboxing videos and ephemeral social media stunts. The brand slips dangerously close to becoming a predictable staple piece used to accessorize outfits-of-the-day posts that read more like advertisements rather than organic recommendations. Instead of aligning with digital personalities who authentically resonated with the brand's essence, Chanel prioritized reach and frequency at the cost of exclusivity.
While this influencer bombardment drew clicks and impulse purchases, it failed to cultivate what really matters; the emotional connections and magical dream worlds upon which iconic luxury brands are built. Followers were amassing Chanel pieces as social symbols and styling props rather than objects of desire rooted in history and craftsmanship.
As Chanel loses control of its carefully-guarded image, the question remains whether Chanel can modernize its dream while still retaining the elusive exclusivity that made it an icon for nearly a century.
Chapter 3: ADAPTING BRANDING TO THE DIGITAL AGE
As shoppers exited Chanel’s Madison Avenue doors, few noticed the discreet stickers announcing “Shop Online” newly affixed to the windows. After all, Chanel’s minimal e-commerce presence barely made a dent in the conscious of most luxury consumers. Those anticipating an immersive, visual digital experience were met instead with disappointment - a site as sparse as the Chanel boutiques, with clinical images against stark backgrounds and seemingly no content strategy.
This feeble embrace of online retail marked the growing disconnect between the brand clinging to its heritage and younger generations craving innovation. While luxury competitors intrigued tech-savvy audiences with gamified experiences, augmented reality try-ons and shareable digital content, Chanel’s digital relic of a site bears no traces of the dreamy escapist worlds customers seek.
The answer remains, even now, largely shrouded in mystery - with Chanel staunchly guarded about their strategies in a cultural era demanding radical transparency. All the while, innovators like Saint Laurent and Alexander McQueen staked digital-first visions, embracing VR, AR, and 3D printing to revolutionize tradition and pioneer what 21st century luxury could be.
Yet Chanel remains rooted in an analog past, either unwilling or unable to augment its heritage for Gen Z’s digitally-fluent generation. Unless the archival theatre of salon shows and storied white couture workshops can transcend screens as well as runways, the curtain may soon close on the outdated legacy unless Chanel drastically changes their ways.
Chapter 4: ACTIONABLE STRATEGIES FOR YOUR CREATIVE BRAND
As venerable brands like Chanel falter in the new digital landscape, the question remains - how can your creative brand avoid similar mistakes? The answer lies not in rejecting innovation but rather skillfully adapting storytelling for modern audiences across digital channels.
This starts with identifying niche influencers and microcommunities authentically aligned with your brand essence and the creation of original content rather than cookie cutter sponsored endorsements. By letting digitally savvy ambassadors organically incorporate items into imaginative new worlds, vintage icons can be recast through the lens of cultural progression versus static marketing.
Equally important is crafting an ecommerce ecosystem that provides continuity between the online and brick-and-mortar experience. Far from diluting exclusivity, these intersections allow access to the sensorial worlds at the core of creative brands old and new. Interactive showroom tours, no-filter behind-the-scenes vlogs, and virtual appointments in 3D metaverse boutiques provide that tactile, high-touch magic missing from e-commerce today.
Finally, the embrace of emerging technologies remains critical for immersive storytelling across platforms, letting creative and heritage brands frame history through a modern lens.
The brands poised to triumph amidst digital disruption will be those telling their origin stories seamlessly across virtual and physical environs as longevity depends not on abandoning legacy but rather on reimagining tradition through the artistic possibilities unlocked by technology. With vision and imagination quintessential to luxury and creative brands, the fairytale can endure ever after.
Chapter 5: SALVAGING AN ICON BY RECAPTURING THE STORY
As customers exit Concierge-clad boutiques underwhelmed and over it, Chanel confronts a tipping point. But how to make an over 100 year legacy newly alluring in an era where shoppers want conscious design over being walking brand advertisements?
Luxe Operandi Believes Key Initiatives Include:
DIGITAL MASTERCLASS CAMPAIGNS
Showcasing Chanel creators from across continents pioneering local sustainable materials and ethical production methods, surfaced through video masterclass content and retailers’ AR ‘Meet the Maker’ installations. These preserve Chanel’s commitment to empowerment while spotlighting stewardship caretaking ancient arts into tomorrow.
This vision recodes Chanel’s legacy as a living design house pioneering the future of conscientious luxury craftsmanship rooted in imagination and human hands.
By valuing human creativity over commerciality, Chanel can reclaim modern resonance.
Launch a sustainability innovation lab to explore and pioneer renewable materials, circular production methods and zero waste designs based on archival icons.
Introduce customization bars in flagship boutiques where clients can personalize the finishes and options on legacy pieces like the 2.55 flap bag with sustainable fabrics, biodegradable hardware, hand-painted details etc. Bring personalization to classic pieces.
Recruit emerging YouTube micro niche personalities that embody Chanel’s founding values to collaborate on bespoke social-first content that brings heritage into a contemporary context.
Develop a limited-run vintage collection reissuing iconic pieces from past decades using deadstock materials, showcasing little-known brand history.
Introduce a ‘Chanel Collective’ incubator supporting and spotlighting diverse emerging designers each season in rotating boutique pop-ups and co-created collections.
Chanel’s 2024 Summer Marketing Campaign Created by Luxe Operandi
PRESERVING ALLURE THROUGH THE GENERATIONS
By intimately spotlighting the enduring quality crafting each piece, Chanel may continue attracting new devotees from younger demographics like Gen Z. Many of whom value sustainability and investment in lasting pieces over trendy fast fashion.
Strategically showcasing Chanel’s heritage could involve resurrecting archival ads spanning different eras. Sophisticated visuals reminding audiences of the reverence a Chanel jacket or Classic Flap holds by lasting through generations. Poignant copy conveying these pieces morphing into family heirlooms, passed lovingly from grandmother to the granddaughter soon to inherit those iconic interlocking C’s.
Social campaigns could feature young women proudly carrying their mother’s vintage Chain Around Bag or classic two-tone slingbacks to art galleries openings. Bonding with friends while retelling tales of these accessories accompanying their mothers on adventures to Paris fashion shows.
Even a video series interviewing Chanel clients from ages 18 to 80, sharing why they invest in the brand’s timeless silhouettes. How certain bags summon cherished memories passed down from relatives, or dreams of future travels to share with their daughters and granddaughters. These authentic testimonials reinforce Chanel’s rich heritage spanning nearly a century of women’s evolving independence and self-expression.
Such initiatives may continue attracting young, conscious consumers seeking to invest thoughtfully. They yearn for meaningful brand connections grounded in artistic quality and endurance. By proudly spotlighting its remarkable staying power through generations, Chanel may retain cultural relevance for years yet to come.
Preserving Legacy Between Generations
Tucked away in her modest Paris apartment, Élodie delicately lifted the iconic quilted 2.55 bag from its nest of acid-free tissue. Tracing her aged hands along the smooth lambskin, she recalled the carefree days spent strolling the winding alleys of Saint-Germain-des-Prés as a jeune fille. Back when she had saved every last cent for months to purchase Chanel’s newly released 2.55.
Clutching her treasured bag tight as she floated down the bustling quays along the Seine, the gold Mademoiselle lock gleaming in the sun symbolized her personal coming-of-age. The beginning of her life as a modern, independent Parisienne.
Over the years, the little quilted bag bore witness to Élodie’s evolution from doe-eyed teenager to bohemian artist to self-assured grandmother. Careers launched, loves found and lost, children raised, adventures made across continents - her 2.55 a faithful repository for six decades of memories.
Until one summer visit from her teenage granddaughter Clémence, who pleaded to inherit Élodie’s iconic bag upon her high school graduation. Clémence effused visions of carrying the vintage Chanel to café dates with art school friends, dreaming it might absorb the nostalgic patina of her grandmother’s romanticized Paris years.
And now on the anniversary marking Clémence’s 18th year, Élodie gingerly unwraped the 2.55, unveiling it to her granddaughter with hopeful ceremony. Yet she soon noticed Clémence’s smile fade as she studied the bag’s cracked leather and misshapen quilting. Hesitantly weighing whether this hand-me-down still retained the allure to grace her curated Instagram feed.
But as Clémence turned over the vintage bag in her hands, she now discerned the sublime beauty in its imperfections. Each mark and dent encapsulated six decades of adventures underpinning her grandmother’s trajectory as woman and artist. She imagined her own future self one day bequeathing this bag — by then doused in fresh memories and more than a few battle scars — to her own granddaughter. So the legacy may continue as a cherished family heirloom, carrying heritage and womanhood wisdom through the generations.
Disclaimer: (this is a mock campaign conceptualized by Luxe Operandi, we are not currently working with Chanel)
