French luxury house Chanel has launched the Factory 5 centennial anniversary collection in Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Istanbul Airport for a limited run this summer.
The limited-edition range, which offers 17 different beauty and fragrance products, celebrates 100 years of the iconic Chanel N°5 fragrance.
The pop-art inspired line is showcased in a playful ‘factory’ retail concept, which seeks to recreate the Chanel production process for public viewing.
According to the brand, the industrial pop-ups were imagined as ‘theme parks dedicated to N°5’, blending the monochromatic brand identity of Chanel N°5 with the bold colours of pop art.
To celebrate the milestone launch, Chanel has partnered with the Société de Distribution Aéroportuaire [a joint venture between Paris Aéroports and Lagardère Travel Retail] to host the striking Chanel Factory 5 pop-up in the Terminal 2F gates F41-F56 at Paris Roissy Charles de Gaulle Airport. It was officially opened on 1 July and will run until 28 July.
The maison has also partnered with Gebr. Heinemann and Unifree Duty Free to unveil the Factory 5 activation within the International Departures Zone of Istanbul Airport. The pop-up is open 24/7 and offers an interactive and immersive Chanel N°5 experience. It was officially launched on 5 July and will run until 31 August.
The Chanel Factory N°5 collection is also available in key airports in Munich, Madrid, Dubai and Amsterdam.
Launched a century ago, Chanel N°5 has withstood the test of time, becoming one of the world’s most iconic fragrances. The Chanel Factory 5 collection pays homage to N°5 and represents a return to the essentials of luxury.
The line also marks a return to the original packaging of the N°5 scent. When it was originally launched, Chanel N°5 was packaged in a simple laboratory bottle, a functional object that quickly became an icon in the world of fragrance.
Head of Global Creative Resources Fragrance and Beauty Thomas du Pré de Saint Maur said: “There can be as much value in products that we use regularly as in products that we use for very special occasions. It’s all about the experience these products give you.
“Body oil in a burette, bath tablets in a tea tin — by reusing 17 everyday objects in this collection, N°5 has subverted their functions, demonstrating once again that luxury is in the experience we have of things.”
The ultra-modern collection features a variety of everyday objects, infused with the N°5 fragrance and packaged in pop art-inspired packaging that references the original N°5 flaçon.
The concept behind the anniversary range is to reconnect functionality and luxury, transforming everyday objects into desirable luxury items.
In addition, the collection takes design cues from pop-art, which turns everyday objects into works of art. The line’s immersive factory store concept — a nod to Andy Warhol’s own ‘The Factory’ Studio — presents the Chanel items as they move from mechanical conveyor belts to the hands of Chanel’s skilled on-site Beauty Advisors.
“As N°5 celebrates its 100th anniversary, Chanel Factory 5 also reminds us that youth is above all a state of mind: daring to take a step to the side, to have the freedom to be oneself despite convention, not to take oneself seriously, to be light without being frivolous. To have the audacity to prefer the youth of imagination to the oldness of habit. That’s what this collection says to us,” added Pré de Saint Maur.
The milestone Chanel Factory 5 launch is supported by series of interactive pop-ups across the world’s largest cities. Customers follow the production process through various workstations, concluding with playful product demonstrations led by Chanel Beauty advisors.
As an added O2O element, the Factory 5 experience is available digitally for those who are unable to visit the pop-ups in person.
