Manchester gets ready for… Chanel! Historic Thomas Street is decked out ahead of the city’s multimillion-pound Métiers d’Art show as the runway is prepared ahead of the A-list’s arrival

A host of A-listers are set to arrive in Manchester for the 2023/2024 Chanel Metiers d’Art fashion show.

And ajhead of the star-studded runway, the city’s historic Thomas Street was seen being prepared for the arrival of ther glitterati.

The Metiers d’Art collections take place outside of the normal fashion week schedule, and a new city is chosen for every show.

Over the past few weeks, a glass canopy has been erected in the trendy Northern Quarter in case of any chance of showers in the famously rainy city.

Fashion icons including Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and The Beckhams are expected to watch the catwalk on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter of the city this evening, which will go ahead despite several hitches along the way.

A host of A-listers are set to arrive in Manchester for the 2023/2024 Chanel Metiers d’Art fashion show

The Metiers d’Art collections take place outside of the normal fashion week schedule, and a new city is chosen for every show

The French luxury fashion house said it has chosen to present the 2023/24 show in Manchester as it is ‘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.’ 

In recent years, celebrity regulars at the Metiers d’Art have included Pharrell Williams, Lily-Rose Depp and Kristen Stewart – who was recently snapped out in Manchester.

The city council has announced that a number of roads, including the high street between Copperas Street and Nicholas Croft, will be closed throughout the afternoon and most of the night ‘for an event in the Northern Quarter.’

A street in the northern quarter of the city has been cordoned off for the international catwalk and was closed for around a month ahead of the show.

Large metal structures were being erected on Thomas Street with cranes and constructors on the scene to build a warehouse-like frame.

The venue and details of the Métiers d’Art catwalk were kept a tightly-guarded secret – but according to local media earlier this month, dozens of boxes with the show’s name emblazoned upon were seen in the same area.

Businesses in the immediate vicinity signed non-disclosure agreements to prevent them speaking about the event, Manchester Evening News reports.

One business owner said they are having to close their doors on December 6 and 7, but they are being compensated for it. ‘It must be costing them a fortune,’ they added.

Over the past few weeks, a glass canopy has been erected in the trendy Northern Quarter in case of any chance of showers in the famously rainy city

Fashion icons including Vogue’s editor-in-chief Anna Wintour and The Beckhams are expected to watch the catwalk on Thomas Street in the Northern Quarter of the city this evening, which will go ahead despite several hitches along the way

Stars are set to descend on a street in Manchester this afternoon for a Chanel show (pictured: Chanel in Bond Street)

Ahead of the show, residents living on Thomas Street expressed their fury at being asked by the luxury designer to dim their lights and not walk out onto their balconies while models take to the catwalk.

Business owners on the street have also expressed concerns over profit after Chanel paid them to shut for the day – but they fear the reimbursement will not cover the losses they will suffer from missing out on a day’s custom.

One business, a sex shop on the street, has also taken the opportunity to mercilessly mock Chanel and one of the show’s rumoured attendees, Kim Kardashian – joking that they stock the infamous sex tape she made with her ex boyfriend.

As backlash built against Chanel yesterday, one resident said: ‘We were told not to go on our balconies and to keep our curtains shut during the show. It was more or less: ‘We strongly suggest you don’t go on your balcony or if you have lights on in your home close the curtain.’

He said he began receiving letters about the fashion show around three weeks ago.

‘We’ve had a handful of letters which have been like a drip feed of information because they want to keep it on the down low even though everyone knows it’s a Chanel show’, he added.

Within the letters he says event dates were given and residents were warned the area was set to become ‘very active’ from Monday, December 4.

When asked about the transformation of Thomas Street, he said: ‘It’s a lot of money spent on basically a glorified canopy. 

‘If they leave it up that will be really good for the businesses during winter time and if there’s heating and stuff that would be great. I feel like it’s a little over zealous but it’s cool it’s not happening in London or somewhere like that.’

A manager of a bar on nearby High Street, said they have suffered reduced footfall due to people assuming the businesses in the area are shut in the lead up to the event.

He said: ‘It looks closed unless you’re coming from Edge Street. We’ve had to change our entrance. On Saturday (December 3) I would say we were a couple of grand down.’

The manager said the business has been compensated for the days it has been told to close [Wednesday and Thursday] but worries the amount given may not cover the total losses incurred.

Just a few doors down from the runway sex shop Love Boutique put up a poster on their front door which mocks Kim Kardashian’s sex tape from 2007.

The sign reads: ‘Kim Kards homemade DVD sold here. Can you resist anything but temptation?

‘Sponsored by Chanelle. The parrot, not the brand’ – making a reference to a viral video from 2020 in which an African Grey Parrot called Chanelle went missing and her owner desperately called for her return.

The store advertises a range of ‘lotions,’ ‘potions’ and ‘poppers’ on the shop front.

Since road closures for the construction were announced, social media users were speculating about the show and asking how they can secure tickets. 

Workers on the sight said the structure will stretch from Tib Street to the High Street, with Smithfield Market also being used for the fashion event.

Signs at the construction site, which is being patrolled by security teams, state the road will be closed until December 15.

The stage is set for The Chanel Metiers d’Art Fashion Show which will be held this evening in Manchester’s Northern Quarter

A street in the northern quarter of the city has been cordoned off for the international catwalk and was closed for around a month ahead of the show 

Local businesses have reportedly been asked to sign non-disclosure agreements around the event

Until now, the venue and details of the Métiers d’Art catwalk have been kept a tightly-guarded secret

Chanel has an annual Métiers d’Art collection which celebrates the many artisans and specialists which contribute to its fashion house.

It’s reported that Manchester’s northern quarter has been chosen due to its historic links to the Industrial Revolution and the clothing industry.

Chanel’s creative director, Virginie Viard – who took over from Karl Lagerfeld when he died in 2019 – will host the show in the city’s Northern Quarter.

Past collections have been held in Tokyo, Shanghai, Rome and Dakar, and the aim of the shows is to put the spotlight on the specialist ateliers acquired by Chanel.

A video posted by Manchester’s Finest revealed that the invitation for the show comes with a 12-inch vinyl record, as well as a Manchester-themed cashmere scarf and a magazine featuring the street sign from soap opera Coronation Street, which has been changed to say Chanel St.

Previous themes for the event have included ancient Egypt, Scotland and the 1960s – but this year’s theme has not yet been announced.

Previous events have been held in cities such as Paris and Rome, although last year’s edition was in Dakar, Senegal.

In September, fashion exhibition Gabrielle Chanel. Fashion Manifesto – dedicated to the designer who established the luxury fashion house – opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.

In the past, Chanel has chosen other UK cities for its collections including Linlithgow Palace near Edinburgh, Scotland, in 2012.

A film of the show is expected to be released on Friday at 9am GMT.

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