The CHANEL 22 was designed by Virginie Viard and first shown at the Spring/Summer 2022 ready-to-wear show in Paris in October 2021. As with the CHANEL 19, the name refers both to the year and to the house's numerology: N°22 was Chanel's second fragrance, launched in 1922 after N°5.
It is far more casual than the house's structured flap bags, a soft, square, sack-like shape designed for everyday use. It closes with a magnetic button and drawstrings like a purse, has an inside zipped pocket and comes with a removable pouch clipped in by a snap hook. Chanel describes the leather as extremely supple yet resistant, sturdier than the delicate lambskin associated with the house. Familiar codes are still there: quilting, a metal chain threaded with leather, the CHANEL name in gold-tone or lacquered metal letters, and a 'CHANEL Paris' medallion with an openwork double C.
It arrived in boutiques in March 2022 in small, medium and large sizes and a backpack, first in navy, purple, two pinks, white and black. Later versions came in tweed, velvet and sequins.