Chanel doesn’t make men’s clothing. Men want Chanel anyway

Chanel doesn’t officially make menswear, nor has it dropped a men’s ready-to-wear line (yet). But that hasn’t stopped a wave of stylish men from slipping into double-C sneakers, bouclé jackets, and quilted crossbody bags like they were made for them. The truth is: men have been quietly raiding the Chanel closet for years. And now, they’re out of the shadows.

During the five-month period in 2024 when Chanel was without a creative director, many were rooting for Hedi Slimane to assume what’s widely considered fashion’s top job. Slimane—who started Dior Homme in 2000 and introduced menswear at Celine in 2019, amongst other things—would have probably (finally!) launched a Chanel menswear line had he bagged the role. But the announcement of Matthieu Blazy as creative director was still equally welcome; after all, he was the one who made Jacob Elordi the ultimate Bottega boy.

While Chanel hasn’t ever held a menswear show, there have been a handful of men’s looks on its ramps over the years. Back in 2019, the Parisian house even teamed up with Pharrell Williams, the musician and now creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, for a colourful capsule collection of unisex hoodies, sneakers, accessories, and jewellery. The creative multihyphenate has had a long-standing relationship with the brand and its erstwhile creative director Karl Lagerfeld (he walked in two of Chanel’s Métiers d’Art shows) and was often spotted in Chanel’s little jackets.

But Pharrell wasn’t the only man sporting Chanel goods. In the last few years particularly, rappers such as Future, Young Thug, Gunna, Lil Uzi Vert, and Tyler, The Creator have emerged as fans of the brand’s accessories. K-pop artist G-Dragon has been a Chanel ambassador since 2016, and Kendrick Lamar, who was announced as a Chanel ambassador earlier this year in April, wore head-to-toe Chanel at the Parisian house’s spring/summer 2024 haute couture show, and a custom suede bomber jacket for his Grand National Tour show in Paris this July. One of the first things A$AP Rocky did after his acquittal earlier this year was hit the Chanel store in Beverly Hills in a very public outing. And now, the American rapper has just been announced as the house’s newest ambassador.

Many of the brand’s male fans fall outside the world of hip-hop too. Marc Jacobs, a long-time fan of the brand, owns more than one vintage Chanel jacket. Fashion journalists, obviously, are into it as well. Perfect editor-in-chief Bryan Yambao (aka Bryanboy) has a massive Chanel outerwear collection; fashion editor and critic Alexander Fury recently posted an Instagram story in a Chanel jacket from his archive; and Charlie Porter makes his own “Chanel” jackets from an original pattern.

Jacob Elordi was recently spotted in a Chanel scarf. Timothée Chalamet (the face of Bleu de Chanel) has worn Chanel crossbody bags multiple times. Diljit Dosanjh has worn interlocking-C brooches for various performances. and in March, singer AP Dhillon attended the Chanel show in Paris in a head-to-toe Chanel look that included Coco Crush jewellery. Also in attendance? Korean actor Park Seo-joon in a white bouclé wool jacket accented with pearls, a Chanel brooch, and mini camellia pinned to the front.

According to those in the know, most male celebrities and KOLs attending the shows don womenswear pieces in bigger sizes. Shopping works that way too, with very limited pieces available for grabs in select boutiques around the world.

But what makes Chanel so appealing to men? For one, Chanel pieces in bigger sizes are extremely rare and hard to come by. In this age of self-expression, it’s a way to stand out. “It’s the ultimate unexpected thing for a guy to have on today,” Yashua Simmons, a stylist who has put the singer Giveon in several Chanel looks for events like the Met Gala, the Grammy Awards and Coachella, told WSJ.

Chanel’s codes—pearls, quilting, tweed—are potent. But they’re also pliable. Once you stop seeing them as ‘women’s’ motifs and start seeing them as design elements, they’re impossible to ignore. Also, traditional womenswear cuts often work in traditional menswear looks. We all like good tailoring—and who doesn’t like a well-tailored jacket?

So, is Chanel for men now? Not officially. But also, kind of yes. While Chanel may not be launching a full menswear line any time soon, there’s plenty for guys to pick from: Boy de Chanel, the makeup line specifically created for men, a host of fragrances, and of course, watches. Matthieu Blazy, if you’re reading this...