Michel Gondry has stepped behind the camera once again, this time crafting a glimmering mini-romance for Chanel ahead of the house’s Métiers d’Art 2026 show. Produced by Partizan, the short pairs Margaret Qualley (The Substance, Honey Don’t, Maid), a longtime Chanel ambassador, with A$AP Rocky, the brand’s newest face, in a stylish, wordless love story set against the rhythm of New York City.
Gondry filmed on location, leaning into the city’s natural electricity. Speaking to Vanity Fair, he described New York as a place where “old and new collide on every corner” — a quality the film embraces as its characters dart through streets, stations, and fleeting moments of near-connection.
The Métiers d’Art show itself is designed to spotlight the artisans who work with Chanel, and under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy, this year’s edition unfolded on a decommissioned subway platform at Manhattan’s Bowery Station. That setting echoes throughout the film, hinting at the collection’s blue-and-red palette and drawing on decades of commuter style, folding in visual nods to silent-era slapstick with playful frame rates and a smooth score by Le Motel.
Both stars showcase pieces from the Métiers d’Art 2026 collection. Qualley begins the film in a delicate, ambiguous mini dress — sleepwear? Partywear? Both? — before changing into blue trousers and a blue-and-red tweed blazer, complete with a classic Chanel bag. Rocky, meanwhile, spends nearly the entire chase wearing luxurious red pajamas, which remain defiantly intact through sprinting, swimming, and an impromptu proposal attempt. In one of the short’s most striking images, he kneels with a ring box in hand, only for a gust of wind to strip away his suit and reveal those bold pajamas once more. Watch below:
The result is pure Gondry: surreal, romantic, rooted in practical magic, and unmistakably Chanel.
CREDITS:
BRAND: Chanel
PRODUCTION COMPANY: Partizan London
Director: Michel Gondry
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