July // 2026
The first film inside Chanel's headquarters: The Paris filming locations of Couture
Couture
There is a scene in Couture where Anyier Anei is being fitted for her first Paris runway outing. The building they are in — Chanel headquarters — is, for the first time in the history of fictional cinema, open to a film crew.
Couture had the distinction of being the first fashion industry-set film shot on location inside Chanel's showroom and atelier. That is not a marketing claim. Clément Geray, head of cinema-relations projects at Chanel, was explicit: "It's the very first fiction film shot right here at Rue Cambon, in the ateliers." Director Alice Winocour had been campaigning for that access for years. When she got it, she used it with precision — not for glamour shots, but for the women who do the actual work.
Chanel, Paris
The Chanel showroom on Rue Cambon — where the house's most important collections are presented to buyers and press — also features in the film. It's iconic staircase is instantly recognisable in the film.
The fashion house said: "Chanel is proud to support the production of Alice Winocour's Couture, a film that reveals both the backstages of the fashion world and the energy of those who make it happen."
The Chanel atelier — its workrooms, its fitting rooms, its backstage corridors — is where the film's most intimate and specific sequences were captured. Winocour described the access she was given: "They let me go backstage of all of their shows, to meet seamstresses in the atelier, the workers of fashion. In most fashion movies, it's usually from the point of view of an artistic director, who are mostly men. I thought it was very interesting to have the female point of view and the point of view from the working-class heroes."
Continue reading below the ad
Paris Fashion Week
Beyond the Chanel atelier, Winocour was given rare access to real fashion shows across Paris Fashion Week — the actual runway presentations, with real models, real audiences and real industry chaos.
Paris
Couture was filmed entirely in Paris; the production team filmed at various locations across the city, including the Champs-Élysées near the Arc de Triomphe.
Couture had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2025. It opened in France on February 18, 2026, and in the United States on June 26, 2026.
SOURCE
Variety // WWD // Wikipedia // IMDb
CREDITS
© CG Cinéma, Closer Media, France 3 Cinéma
with our self-guided film walking tours
Discover how films are made, why locations matter and other behind-the-scenes stories.
download now, it's free!