Chanel and the world of cinema have an ever-lasting symbiotic relationship. It all started with Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, the founder and namesake of the luxury Parisian house and her involvement in the industry. Amidst the glory days of Hollywood, the designer paved her way into movie sets in an effort to transform movie stars into fashion icons through her seamless designs, and her impeccable understanding of the importance of photogenics. Fast forward to modern times, and the House of Chanel has never stopped accompanying cinematic creation. From costume design to working with directors such as American screenwriter Sofia Coppola, the house continues to step into different creative spheres fusing together fashion and the arts.
Now, for this year’s Chanel 2022/23 Métiers d’art show, the house chose to explore different creative dialogues through a film directed by French-Senegalese filmmaker Mati Diop, titled “Tokyo Trip.” The collection was showcased in Tokyo on June 1, after debuting last December in Dakar, Senegal. The collection took subtle references from bygone eras, combining the energy of the ‘70s with emblematic codes of the storied maison.
The film shares Diop’s personal vision of the collection and stars fellow Senegalese actress Mama Sané, who is also the heroine of the feature film Atlantics, which won the Grand Prix at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival. During her stay in the Japanese capital, Diop revealed how she met Sané, her fascination with Tokyo, and the genesis of this intense travelog tinted with mystery.
After your feature film Atlantics, you met up again with Mama Sané in Tokyo to make a short film for Chanel. Can you tell us about your relationship, your encounter in Dakar and your collaboration?
“I met Mama Sané in 2018 when I was casting for Atlantics. For the role of Ada, I was looking for someone very special. That rare pearl. I searched the streets of Dakar for a long time until one day I came across Mama, who was only 18 at the time. When I saw her walking along the railway tracks in the Thiaroye district, I knew it was her. I’ve been following her closely ever since Atlantics, the story that brought her to light. Mama is training as a dressmaker in Dakar, where she still lives, and would like to come to Paris to learn French. She hasn’t acted in a film since. As she only speaks Wolof, her opportunities are currently limited to Senegalese cinema, where a new generation is emerging. At the same time, Mama is evolving in the world of fashion, where she has been working a lot since Atlantics. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet up with Mama again for the film that Chanel invited me to make. In the end I was very happy and excited to film her and discover her anew in a context so different to Atlantics.”
Could you summarize your creative intentions behind this short film for Chanel? What did you want to express through these images?
“When the House of Chanel asked me to make a short film in Tokyo in the context of the replica of the Chanel – Dakar Métiers d’art show, I instantly saw Mama Sané at the center of the film. Imagining her in Tokyo immediately struck me as striking, modern and unexpected. Quite quickly, I imagined a sort of travel journal of Mama’s trip to Tokyo, somewhere between a documentary and an hallucinated “trip”, her silhouette in the streets, the way she sees the city and the way the urbanites there see her.”
Is this your first trip to Tokyo? What does the city evoke for you, and how do you feel about it?
“Yes, this is my first trip to Tokyo, but I have a close relationship with Japan through films by Ozu and Kitano, which inspired me when I was a teenager, and more recently those of Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose work I love (I was on the jury that awarded him a prize at Cannes in 2021). Tokyo-Ga by Wim Wenders, Sunless by Chris Marker and Lost in Translation by Sofia Coppola are all films that have made an impact on me. But above all, my brother and sister are Japanese on their mother’s side and are very steeped in their Japanese culture, which I’ve experienced through them. I dreamt of going to Japan for a very long time and I’ve been very touched by this first fleeting encounter with Tokyo, through the eyes of Mama, for whom it’s also the first time. It has been a truly unique experience for us, almost subliminal, and I hope the film reflects this.”
