We didn’t need a numerologist to tell us that 2025 is a significant year for the house of Chanel. We only had to look at the stars—that is, the stars of the French fashion brand. Like the Chanel 19, the last bag designed for the maison by Karl Lagerfeld, which was released in 2019. Or the Chanel 22, which was unveiled three years later. Now, another three years later, comes the Chanel 25.
The bag made its runway debut at Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2025 show, which was a special one: it marked the maison’s return to the Grand Palais in Paris, where Lagerfeld had staged some of the brand’s biggest spectacles. This particular show featured a giant bird cage, which models walked freely in and out of all while carrying the Chanel 25 bag in small, medium and large sizes. They were women marching to their own beat, just as Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel had, and as Dua Lipa does in the Chanel 25 campaign film.
The campaign makes the case for the Chanel 25 as a practical companion for women with things to do and places to be. We watch Dua Lipa strutting down the busy streets of New York City, before hopping into a cab to head to a photoshoot. Throughout the film, the music star carries the Chanel 25 bag on her shoulder, a gesture that was popularised by Gabrielle Chanel 70 years ago, when she launched the Chanel 2.55 handbag. The French fashion designer wanted to free up women’s hands, and so she gave the bag a shoulder strap—an unconventional detail at a time when most ladies carried clutches or purses with a top handle.
Drawn from that same inventive spirit, the Chanel 25 is unlike any other bag you will find today. The accessory is Chanel’s take on the popular hobo bag, which is often slouchy and unembellished. While crafted from supple grained leather, the Chanel 25 maintains a soft structure that gives it a sophisticated appearance. The bag also catches the eye with its gleaming braided metal and leather chains, which are as elegant as any of the French fashion house’s jewellery designs. Equally hard to miss is the bag’s gold-tone metal clasp, which comes in the form of the iconic CC logo. It slides along the braided chain around the bag’s opening, allowing you to open it wide and with ease.
Such functional features were a hallmark of Gabrielle Chanel’s designs, which explains why they were so popular with women of the last century. Another hallmark were pockets: the French couturier designed the original Chanel 2.55 bag with multiple pockets, including a “secret” one which, it is said, was meant to store love letters.
Similarly, the Chanel 25 comes with an abundance of pockets and compartments for the modern woman. The bag boasts an exterior pocket on each side, both big enough to store a smartphone— effectively freeing up your hands. More pockets can be found inside the bag, including two interior pockets (for your lipstick, AirPods, or those love letters, maybe?) and a leather-lined one to slot in your credit card. In the medium and large sizes, the Chanel 25 bag also comes with a removable leather pouch. You don’t have to worry about being weighed down by your baggage, either: in those sizes, the bag’s braided chain is fitted with a leather shoulder pad for comfort.
Dua Lipa clearly appreciates all those pockets. In a statement, the singer confessed her obsession with the Chanel 25 bag, saying, “It’s the perfect kind of bag for me as someone who’s always on the move and likes to carry around everything, especially because it’s got these great pockets for all my favourite things. There’s a place for my books, a place for my sunglasses, maybe a notebook or two, and even a place for my crystals. It’s just the perfect everyday bag!”
With a testimonial like that—from one of the most influential style icons today, no less—there is no question that Chanel 25 will become another star accessory for the French fashion house. The better question to ask when the bag is launched this season is: which colour should you get?
PHOTOGRAPHY VIVIEN TAN
ART DIRECTION MARISA XIN
STYLING GREGORY WOO
LIGHTING RACHEL LIEW
FASHION ASSISTANT JUSTIN NEO
This story first appeared in the March 2025 issue of GRAZIA Singapore.
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