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gennaio 18, 2022 - chapal

The wild story of fashion and the automobile at the Maison CHAPAL. When travel becomes a way of life

Comunicato Stampa disponibile solo in lingua originale. 

Since time immemorial, the Automobile and #fashion seem to pursue the same goal: to influence society and lifestyles, pushing back the limits of what is possible for one and acceptable for the other.

 

Maison #chapal and its creations invite you to travel. The Driving & Racing collection is aimed at those adventurers who llike retro chic, are modern and love luxury above all.

This collection offers an ultra-glamorous look: driver's overalls, helmets, goggles, gloves, shoes, jackets... perfect outfits for a car rally or simply to assume a different style.

Each piece reflects the desires, tastes and aesthetic trends of the great automobile eras. What do they have in common? A fascination for what is "exceptional".

 

The different generations of #chapal family are tanners, manufacturers but also adventurers, gentlemen drivers; they are aviators or car drivers but above all aesthetes who appreciate luxury and refinement.

Since 1832 they have expressed their creativity and daring.

2022 celebrates one hundred and ninety years of adventures and innovations. Faced with industrial, economic and social crises, each generation has reinvented itself.

 

Today, Jean-François Bardinon continues the epic of his family history.

His childhood was during the most beautiful years in the #automotive industry. He drove a single-seater car from the age of 6. His father Pierre had a passion for beautiful machines, travelled the circuits, took part in hill-climbing races and other elegance competitions in which the great designers and car manufacturers competed with each other in terms of audacity and creativity.

At the end of the 1960s, the time for mass consumption had come: cars were mass-produced.

The car industry then discovered the 'ready-to-wear' that #fashion naturally brought to the fore: the 'blue-jean' cars appeared, increasingly functional. Fortunately, some manufacturers retained their expertise in combining "allure" and "speed". In the back of the new faster cars, it was fashionable to grab a Maxi coat made of rabbit fur. In all circumstances, elegance remains a state of mind.

Fashion follows the wheel of the automobile. Creativity takes over. The 70s saw an explosion of psychedelic "Pop-Rock" colors, with designers exploring all possibilities. #chapal took part in the 1968 Olympic Games and dressed the hostesses in its Chapalac jacket, which is still a must-have in the collection today.

Jean-François Bardinon rubs shoulders with the greatest racing drivers. Jim Clark's gloves, Maurice Trintignant's helmet, Jean-Pierre Beltoise's overalls, each #chapal piece has a legitimate history. Each silhouette is a reference to an era. 

Like Simone Bardinon driving her Turcat-Méry in 1923, women have always held strategic positions at #chapal. As worthy heirs, they have passed on the shareholding which today gives the House its independence.

It is not surprising that #chapal accompanies new Amazons in various automobile events : Racing with a Jaguar XK 120 at Rallyes or parade in front of a Ferrari 275 during a #fashion show. Women have been able to impose their strength and feminity.

The original birthplace of the manufacture has been chosen for the opening of a garage for the restoration of classic cars. Three craftsmen trained in the high requirements of the House, are responsible for mechanics, bodywork and upholstery.

A museum on the history of the tannery and the automobile is under construction to perpetuate the glorious past and the know-how of #chapal

The Manufacture at Crocq (in the center of France) became a place to visit where enthusiasts of the House and the car could meet. 

Today, cars follow #fashion. Designers and car body makers immerse themselves in the #fashion Week shows to "sniff out" the latest trends and transpose the application of new materials to the automobile.

Since the takeover of #fashion houses by financial groups in the 2000s and the spectacular increase in volumes produced, special clients used to rarity and discretion have turned to names that perpetuate the codes of true luxury.