Tom Sachs Recreates a Chanel Boutique by Hand With “31 Rue Cambon” in New York

New York-based artist Tom Sachs is unveiling “31 Rue Cambon,” a fully immersive installation that reconstructs a Chanel boutique entirely by hand.

Opening to the public from September 11 through October 10, 2026, at Sachs’ studio at 245 Centre Street in SoHo, New York, the project takes its name from Chanel’s historic Paris address. In his official announcement, Sachs describes “31 Rue Cambon” as “a fully immersive, homemade Chanel boutique built entirely by hand.”

Summary

Reconstructing Chanel Through Everyday Materials

For “31 Rue Cambon,” Sachs has transformed part of his downtown studio into his own interpretation of Chanel’s Paris flagship.

According to The New Yorker, Sachs and a studio team of around 20 people recreated elements ranging from cream-colored awnings and gates bearing the house’s interlocking C motif to a mirrored entrance and a showroom filled with handbags, shoes, jewelry and Chanel’s signature two-piece suits.

Yet these are not conventional luxury products. Instead, the objects have been painstakingly fabricated by hand from everyday materials including cardboard, paper, plywood and broken glass.

Despite its resemblance to a luxury boutique, nothing inside is available for purchase.

“This store, for me, is real, even though you cannot buy anything in it,” Sachs told The New Yorker, explaining that for him, the desire to consume is replaced by the act of making.

Reinterpreting 31 Chanel Suits

At the center of the installation are 31 works based on Chanel suits.

According to The New Yorker, the project draws from looks worn by figures including Naomi Campbell, Elizabeth Taylor and Olivia Rodrigo, translating them through Sachs’ own materials and fabrication techniques.

Rather than using traditional tweed, for example, Sachs and his team created textile-like surfaces on plywood through layers of paint and experimental materials. While one suit sculpture may contain only a few dollars’ worth of raw materials, individual works took more than 10 days to produce. For Sachs, the value lies not in the cost of the material itself but in the labor invested in making it.

Elsewhere, a chandelier reminiscent of the one in Coco Chanel’s Paris apartment has been reconstructed from unexpected objects including cast-iron woks, Citi Bike reflectors and fishing sinkers — translating recognizable codes of the house into Sachs’ distinctly DIY visual language.

The Significance of “31 Rue Cambon”

The address behind the installation holds a central place in Chanel’s history.

According to Chanel, Gabrielle Chanel purchased the building at 31 rue Cambon in 1918 and established her couture house there. The building housed a boutique, salons and ateliers, a configuration that the house says remains in place today. Chanel continues to describe the address as a symbol of its style and history.

Sachs’ “31 Rue Cambon,” however, does not attempt to reproduce that world through precious materials. Instead, it reconstructs the codes of luxury through ordinary matter, human hands and extraordinary amounts of time.

In doing so, the installation raises a broader question about where value in luxury actually resides: in the material itself, in the cultural power of a brand, or in the craftsmanship, labor and time required to make an object.

Not an Official Chanel Collaboration

Importantly, “31 Rue Cambon” should not be understood as an official Chanel × Tom Sachs collaboration.

Speaking to The New Yorker, Sachs said, “For me, this show is not about Chanel.” The publication also reports that Sachs had not spoken with anyone at the house about the project.

Instead, Sachs characterizes the project as being about “honoring and obsessing,” shifting the focus from Chanel itself toward the intense process of studying, making and reconstructing the objects associated with it.

“31 Rue Cambon” will be open to the public from September 11 through October 10 at 245 Centre Street in New York.

According to Sachs’ official announcement, public hours are Thursday and Friday from 6–8 p.m. and Saturday from 1–6 p.m. Admission is free, although the artist notes that space is extremely limited.

Event Information

Tom Sachs “31 Rue Cambon”
September 11–October 10, 2026
245 Centre Street, New York, NY
Thursday: 6–8 p.m.
Friday: 6–8 p.m.
Saturday: 1–6 p.m.
Admission: Free (space is extremely limited)

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