On Tuesday, Chanel unveiled its latest collection by sending a real-life princess down the runway on horseback. The French luxury fashion house opened its show at the Haute Couture Week in Paris with Charlotte Casiraghi cantering down the runway. The 35-year-old, who is eleventh in line to the throne of Monaco, surprised guests when she appeared on the runway riding her horse "Kuskus", Vogue reported.
Charlotte Casiraghi is the granddaughter of Grace Kelly and a competitive showjumper with more than a decade of experience. She has been Chanel's brand ambassador since 2020.
On Tuesday, Charlotte trotted down the catwalk at Grand Palais Ephemere in a collarless Chanel jacket with matching flared trousers in lapis blue tweed. Her outfit was part of Chanel's Spring/Summer 2022 collection.
Charlotte reportedly circled the room on her Spanish bay horse before breaking into a canter. Among those in attendance at the show were Vogue's editor-in-chief Anna Wintour, Margot Robbie, Pharrell Williams and Sofia Coppola.
In a promotional video released ahead of the show, Charlotte Casiraghi said that the use of horses was in line with the founder's vision for her brand. "I immediately think of the story of Chanel and Gabrielle Chanel," she said, according to CNN. "Horses and riding were extremely important, if not instrumental, in her vision of the brand."
But the use of a horse in a fashion show irked many animal rights activists. Several Instagram users expressed their displeasure by flooding Chanel's comments section with 'thumbs down' emoticons.
Meanwhile, PETA's UK Director Elisa Allen told Insider that the use of horses was an "absurd and thoughtless gimmick could have ended in disaster."
"Horses are intelligent, complex, and easily frightened individuals, not fashion accessories to ride down a catwalk amid flashing lights and booming music," Ms Allen said.
Opinion was divided on Twitter, where some praised Chanel's inclusion of a horse in their fashion show as "iconic" while others were more critical.
Chanel… with a real horse opening your show…
— Darimmy (@darimmy) January 25, 2022
srsly not chic not high fashion no no and no!!! ????♀️????
That poor horse. Shameful.
— Hummingbird ???????? ???? (@midvalegrad) January 26, 2022
The horse was the best part of Chanel
— S (@troishilmi) January 26, 2022
ok i will give chanel this, grace kelly's granddaughter on a horse on the runway is chic. pic.twitter.com/1YfboK83OW
— internet baby (@kirkpate) January 25, 2022
Charlotte Casiraghi's association with Chanel goes beyond being its ambassador. Chanel's late creative director Karl Lagerfeld was a close friend of her family, especially her mother, Princess Caroline of Hanover. Charlotte's wedding gown was also designed by Chanel.
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