A new book celebrates the 25-year collaboration between architect Peter Marino and the iconic fashion house
New York-based architect Peter Marino, who established his eponymous practice in 1978, has worked with the iconic French fashion house Chanel for 25 years, designing buildings for the brand’s stores across the world. A new book published by Phaidon – The Architecture of Chanel (2021) – celebrates sixteen of these projects, from Los Angeles to Istanbul to Seoul.
A monochrome, rectilinear minimalism can be seen throughout the architecture, reflecting the sharp, sophisticated elegance of the fashion brand, whose creator Coco Chanel famously had a passion for black and white. ‘Black has it all,’ she once said. ‘White too. Their beauty is absolute. It is the perfect harmony.’ Marino’s inspirations transcend simply Chanel’s fashion; the signature black and white box for its N°5 perfume is clearly referenced in his 2007 building for the brand in Beverly Hills, LA.
In addition to profiles of the sixteen global projects, the book includes a preface written by Marino, an introduction by Pilar Viladas, and an interview with Marino by Felix Burrichter, all giving insight into the nature and evolution of the long-standing fashion-architecture collaboration.
Chanel, Istanbul, Bağdat Street (2018). Photograph: Manolo Yllera
Chanel, Tokyo, Ginza (2004). Photograph: Vincent Knapp, courtesy Peter Marino Architect
Chanel, Los Angeles, Robertson Boulevard (2008). Photograph: Paul Warchol
Chanel, Seoul, Cheongdam-dong (2019). Photograph: Manolo Yllera
Chanel, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills (2007). Photograph: Martin Muller
Chanel, New York, 57th Street (2018). Photograph: Manolo Yllera
Peter Marino: The Architecture of Chanel is published by Phaidon
