Even though it’s been the talk of the town for months, it feels weird to write that Chanel is bringing one of its prestigious fashion shows to Manchester – and now they’ve explained why our city was chosen.
Chanel will be the first major luxury fashion house to show in Manchester, which is a pretty huge deal.
The world’s most famous designer brand will be using Thomas Street to showcase its prestigious Métiers d’art show, which has previously taken place in settings like a pontoon moored in Shanghai’s Huangpu river and a lavish banquet setting in a Parisian palace.
Plenty of us have made jokes about Jennifer Lawrence in Terrace, Timothee Chalamet grabbing lunch at This n That, or Kim Kardashian doing sambuca shots in Cane & Grain – but now that Chanel has explained its reasons for choosing Manchester, we’re feeling pretty proud.
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The brand explained today that ‘creative dialogue is at the heart of every Métiers d’art collection’ and that the show connects ‘artists and friends of the House, cities and cultures’.
It then stated: “CHANEL has chosen to present the 2023/24 Métiers d’art show in Manchester, one of the most effervescent cities of pop culture and an avant-garde one, whose bands, spanning all genres, have changed the history of music.”
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Chanel also confirmed that the poster that’s being used was designed by the legendary Manc Peter Saville.
They even chose a New Order song to soundtrack the first promotional video to be released about the show this Thursday.
Early rehearsals are beginning in town today with music blasting across the Northern Quarter along with lighting tests, and what appears to be a red carpet walkway being built.
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The brand’s Instagram page has now been flooded with excited messages from fans, with one writing: “ITS ACTUALLY HAPPENING! In OUR city!!!!!!!!”
Chanel’s full statement read: “Creative dialogue is at the heart of every CHANEL Métiers d’art collection. It lies within the work between Artistic Director of the Fashion collections Virginie Viard, the ateliers at rue Cambon, the Maisons d’art at 𝘭𝘦19M, and connects artists and friends of the House, cities and cultures, season after season.
“CHANEL has chosen to present the 2023/24 Métiers d’art show in Manchester, one of the most effervescent cities of pop culture and an avant-garde one, whose bands, spanning all genres, have changed the history of music.
“The film of the show will be revealed on Friday, December 8th 2023 at 9am Manchester time, 10am Paris time.
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“‘MCR’ designed by artist Peter Saville on the occasion of the show.”
Now all we’re gagging to know about is which famous faces will be gracing the front row.
Man replicates Manchester pizza restaurant’s loo in his own home
Daisy Jackson
A man has fallen so in love with the loos at a Manchester pizza restaurant that he’s recreated it in his own home.
Yep, while most of us spend our time trawling Pinterest or Instagram for our interiors inspiration, local Matt Hatt got his inspo on a trip to the toilet in town.
He was so obsessed with Nell’s vibrant orange bathroom interiors that he’s now created his very own cookie cutter version in his own house.
And Nell’s has been so impressed, they’ve even got stuck in to lend a hand with the finishing touches.
We are totally on board with Matt’s appreciation for a good restaurant loo – you can spend all the money in the world fitting out a dining room, but it really can fall apart if you head to a toilet with a wonky seat or a door that doesn’t shut or hideous fluorescent lighting.
Thankfully you don’t find too many of those around town these days.
From the ultra-luxury bogs around Spinningfields to the cheeky nude-covered toilets in the Northern Quarter, Manchester has a load of brilliant restaurant loos to explore.
The loos at Nell’s Pizza in Manchester. Credit: Nell’sMatt Hatt’s recreation of the Nell’s loo in his own home. Credit: Instagram @hattathome
One of the best is Nell’s, the New York-style pizza joint down at Kampus, which is painted a vibrant shade of orange.
Matt has nailed that bright toilet decor in his Victorian home in Manchester, down to the white subway tiles, the rounded wall mirrors, and the globe light fixture.
He even slid into Nell’s DMs to let them know about his project, and they offered to give him a branded pizza box, which Matt framed and hung on the wall.
Sharing his inspiration in a video filmed at Nell’s, Matt said: “If you’ve never been in a men’s toilet before, welcome. This is Nell’s Pizza in Manchester and this is the inspiration for our downstairs loo. Isn’t it fab?
Sephora confirms opening date for new megastore at Manchester’s Trafford Centre
Daisy Jackson
Beauty fans rejoice – Sephora has finally announced plans to open a store in Manchester, and soon.
The world-famous retailer, which stops luxury skincare and makeup brands as well as cult items, has secured a spot in the Trafford Centre.
This will be the third UK store for Sephora, which currently has two shops down in London, and its first trip up north.
And after a fair bit of teasing and plenty of rumours, they’ve confirmed that their next megastore will be right here in Greater Manchester.
Hoardings have appeared inside the Trafford Centre, plastered in Sephora’s black and white branding, around a unit next to AllSaints.
The signs read: “Manchester, you called it. Our first Northern store in 2024.”
Sephora says it will ‘redefine the beauty landscape in the North with an extraordinary product range that caters to the diverse needs of beauty enthusiasts’.
Cult brands stocked at Sephora include Huda Beauty, Charlotte Tilbury, The Ordinary, Glossier and Makeup by Mario.
Sephora wrote on Instagram: “You heard correctly — Sephora is coming to the TRAFFORD CENTRE, MANCHESTER.
“Get your shopping baskets ready as we’re on our way up north! More to be revealed soon, see you in 2024…”
The Trafford Centre shared: “You asked, we listened! The wait is over….your @sephorauk opens late Spring 2024.”
Sarah Boyd, managing director of Sephora UK, said: “We are extremely excited to bring Sephora to Manchester, one of the most vibrant cities for beauty in the UK.
“Expanding our presence beyond London is something that consumers have been screaming out for, and we are listening hard to them when deciding where to go next.
“The Trafford Centre, known for its iconic atmosphere and diverse retail offering, is the perfect location for our third store.”
Russell Loveland, managing director at Pradera Lateral – Trafford Centre’s Asset Managers, said: “This iconic beauty giant already has a cult following, and our own social media has been blowing up with enquiries from excited customers eager for Sephora to open.
“We are very proud Sephora chose the Trafford Centre for its next location, which will be its first store in the North of England, and know it will be a fantastic success and a great addition to our strong international brand lineup.”
One person commented on Sephora’s Instagram post: “This is the best news I’ve heard all year!”
Another said: “OMG ITS HAPPENING, STAY CALM”
And someone wrote on Trafford Centre’s post: “Omg omg can’t wait.”