The Collectors: Aline Asmar d’Amman
The architect and designer’s wardrobe full of Chanel is about more than friendship and fashion
With offices in Paris and Beirut, architect and designer Aline Asmar d’Amman spearheads high-profile projects around the world, including glamorous landmarks such as the restaurant Le Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower and the 2022 Lebanese Pavilion at the Venice Biennale. She’s also collaborated with Karl Lagerfeld on several projects and was recently tapped to design the VIP salon at Chanel’s le19M, the home of the brand’s extraordinary haute couture ateliers.
However, her wardrobe of Chanel is about more than just friendship and fashion. “In my work, I endeavor to infuse a sense of strong, committed femininity, with no compromise,” she explains, likening those qualities to the history of Chanel and its groundbreaking founder. “Chanel evokes audacity and the epitome of French chic.”
Early beginnings: “My love for Chanel dates to my earliest childhood memories in Lebanon. Despite the adverse context of a country on the edge, fashion and style felt like an act of resistance. We didn’t dress up to go somewhere but to feel alive.”
“I keep every Chanel piece in my closet, old or new, as they associate to a specific memory”
Aline Asmar d'Amman
Timeless style: “I keep every Chanel piece in my closet, old or new, as they associate to a specific memory. I can hardly let go of a heart-shaped pendant necklace Karl offered me. I wear it very often like a talisman and love to feel it close to my heart.”
A version of this article first appeared in print in our 2024 Late Fall Issue under the headline “The Collectors.” Subscribe to the magazine.