The Chanel jacket is enjoying a resurgence: the story of a boom foretold

Everyone who has tried one on says the same thing: “You have to wear it to understand.” The Chanel jacket_ a centrepiece of the French house_ requires a physical encounter to be truly appreciated. This is a significant detail in an era where desire is almost always sparked through a screen. However_ it has not stopped the value of this icon from soaring on the second-hand fashion market. What is behind this sudden surge in desirability? Is the Chanel suit jacket on its way to becoming as powerful a speculative asset as the Birkin bag? FashionUnited has investigated the matter.

What is so special about a Chanel jacket?

First_ what exactly are we talking about? The tweed suit_ and with it the jacket_ was born at Chanel in the 1920s. The story is well known: “Inspired by the relaxed elegance of the men in her life_ particularly the Duke of Westminster_ [Gabrielle Chanel] transgressed the dress codes of her time by choosing fabrics for their comfort_ such as jersey and later tweed_ which she made even more supple.”

The document provided by the couture house specifies one of the reasons for the Chanel jacket's success: its straight_ structured_ edge-to-edge line. This is what defines the silhouette.

“The elegance of the garment is the freedom to move_” declared the great couturière_ and the construction of the iconic jacket adheres solely to this principle.

The creation of the piece follows precise specifications. The front is mounted on the straight grain without bust darts to gain flexibility without losing support. The same principle applies to the back_ which is simply separated by a centre seam. The sleeve is set high on the shoulder to ensure maximum ease of movement. The lining meets the same requirements: “as many panels [editor's note: the width of a fabric between its two selvedges] of lining as panels of tweed. (...) The two fabrics_ intimately and almost invisibly topstitched_ then move together_ with nothing hindering the movement.”

The Chanel jacket is also known for its brass chain_ sewn into the lining to ensure a perfect drape. It is also recognised for its braids and its jewel-like buttons made of galalith_ resin or metal_ which were often adorned with the double C from the Karl Lagerfeld era onwards.

“A Chanel jacket (...) is a staple of the female wardrobe. It is a timeless model_ suitable for women and men of all ages.”

This combination of structure and comfort contributes to its success. For Kerry Taylor_ founder of the British auction house of the same name_ its strength lies in its versatility. Contacted via email by FashionUnited_ she states: “An instantly recognisable Chanel jacket_ which can be worn with jeans as well as with a skirt or trousers_ is a staple of the female wardrobe. It is also a timeless model_ suitable for women and men of all ages. In fact_ more and more men are buying them.”

How much does a Chanel suit jacket cost?

Twice a year_ the British house Kerry Taylor Auctions holds a sale called “Passion for Fashion_” featuring several fashion brands. By analysing the results of sales between 2020 and 2025_ FashionUnited has observed an increase in the average price of Chanel tweed suits sold at auction.

Kerry Taylor confirms: “The prices of pieces from before Virginie Viard [former artistic director of Chanel] have undeniably increased.” She adds: “Buyers are [also] looking for certain characteristic elements of Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel vocabulary: the chains; the obvious use of the logo and buttons; the magnificent fantasy tweeds.” She also notes that the Métiers d'art collections_ which are akin to demi-couture in terms of materials and embellishments_ are “particularly sought-after”.

According to the founder_ this popularity is partly because “buyers see these garments as good value for money compared to the cost of a new Chanel jacket today”.

In December 2025_ a black and brown tweed Chanel jacket by Karl Lagerfeld from the autumn/winter 2018-19 collection sold for 1_430 pounds at Kerry Taylor Auctions. In France_ at the Penelope_s auction house_ a 2020 Chanel jacket offered at 600 euros (estimated between 700 and 1_000 euros) sold for 2_990 euros. These prices are high for most consumers but remain well below those of current collections. On the brand's website_ tweed jackets from the spring/summer 2026 collection are priced at nearly 9_000 euros.

Although still below the price of contemporary collections_ resale prices for Chanel jackets are rising almost everywhere. “Previously_ a Chanel jacket would resell for around 1_500 euros_ then that doubled in 2015_” says Tami Kern_ founder of the second-hand fashion company Kern1 and a Chanel jacket specialist. “It stayed that way for a few years and since Covid-19_ it has increased again. Now_ resale prices are between 2_500 and 3_000 euros.”

This price increase indicates that the value retention of the Chanel suit jacket is good_ even excellent_ at least in the long term. So far_ the Chanel jacket does not seem to have become a short-term speculative asset like an Hermès Birkin bag.

“The Chanel suit jacket remains a safe investment_” confirms Pénélope Blanckaert of the Penelope's auction house by telephone. “If you invest in Chanel_ [you know that] it will not lose value. For it to fetch high prices_ it needs to be branded and visible. We do not value a jacket without an external logo in the same way as one with a logo on the buttons or elsewhere_ although it remains a very identifiable product nonetheless.”

While this enthusiasm is focused on archive pieces_ current collections are certainly contributing to this success.

From Matthieu Blazy to the 'old money' trend

Upon his arrival at Chanel in 1983_ Karl Lagerfeld gave the suit jacket a new lease of life. “He reinterpreted it with impertinence and humour_ capturing the spirit of the times and women's desires like no other_” reads the document sent by the Rue Cambon house. This statement also applies to the recent work of Matthieu Blazy_ the brand's artistic director appointed in December 2024.

“Matthieu Blazy has brought desirability back to the Chanel jacket_” states Tami Kern. “Usually_ Chanel is ahead of what is to come_ whereas Blazy is more in the moment_ in the present. This brings in new customers.”

In his three shows for the French house_ the Franco-Belgian designer placed the suit at the heart of the collection. The suit is lighter_ ruffled_ frayed and twisted with different materials. It is sometimes crafted by the ateliers Flou rather than the ateliers Tailleurs_ as tradition would dictate. This freedom of construction is matched by a freedom of colour: a palette of cosmetic shades for the Haute Couture show_ or pop and urban tones for the Métiers d'Art show. In short_ a breath of fresh air that has won over both the public and the fashion press.

“Tweed can quickly become heavy and shapeless_ but Blazy's seemed surprisingly light_” wrote Nicole Phelps for Vogue Runway about the spring/summer 2026 collection_ Blazy's first for Chanel. She added: “It has been years since Chanel's short tweed jacket was a cult object_ highly coveted and widely copied_ but Blazy has brought it back into fashion.”

A few months later_ in December 2025_ model Bhavitha Mandava opened the Chanel Métiers d_art show on a New York subway platform. She had a Chanel jacket casually thrown over the large quilted leather bag she carried on her shoulder. What followed was a cinematic staging_ where models came and went in this everyday setting_ their jackets or coats over their arms_ catapulting the couture house into the real lives of city women. The Chanel tweed jacket thus shed its last vestiges of stuffiness to embrace a reality with which the younger generation can identify.

This is precisely the target audience. Gen Z (the generation born between the late 1990s and the early 2010s) represents the clientele Chanel needs to attract. This generation views the jacket through the filter of the famous TikTok trend: the “old money aesthetic”.

The “old money” style is a trend that truly took off in 2023 and continues into 2026. It is a cultural and aesthetic phenomenon that favours quality and a certain classicism through iconic pieces like the loafer_ the cable-knit sweater and the Chanel suit.

However_ the renewed popularity of the piece in question goes far beyond this trend. According to Google Trends data_ the “old money” aesthetic is currently showing a slight decline_ while interest in the Chanel suit is on the rise.

On the search engine_ the query “tweed suit” has increased by 70 percent since Matthieu Blazy's first show for Chanel in October 2025. The same is true for the queries “Chanel style jacket” and “Chanel jacket price” (up 70 percent over the last five months). This second query demonstrates genuine consumer interest in the piece and a desire to purchase. It is often associated with a search for “Chanel jackets vintage” (also on the rise).

The high price of new items generally pushes consumers towards the second-hand fashion channel_ but this alone does not explain the choice for pre-loved. Beyond the “old money” trend and the spotlight from Matthieu Blazy_ the widespread interest in fashion archives and vintage in recent years has also contributed to the rising popularity of the historic Chanel jacket.

Parallel network of vintage Chanel jackets

Tami Kern has been a resale specialist since 2015. Based in Amsterdam_ she exclusively trades in Chanel jackets from the 1980s and 1990s. She reports selling around 200 pieces a year and has built a loyal group of buyers who sometimes purchase several jackets a month.

To sell her exceptional pieces_ Kern used to undertake extensive editorial work_ creating polished images worthy of the item's iconic status. Recently_ however_ she reports observing a change in how her customers buy: “Last year_ I saw people who just wanted a photo of the jacket on me before buying it. No need for a special photo.”

“It takes a lot of time to create a jacket_ but also to find the one you want.”

Yet_ according to her_ buying one of her jackets takes time: “You might find it tomorrow or in eight years. It requires patience. It takes a lot of time to create a jacket_ but also to find the one you want. It is a quest_ and many people no longer have that patience.”

This new way of acquiring a Chanel jacket_ quickly and without a fitting_ is also adopted by users of online platforms like Vestiaire Collective_ Resee_ The RealReal and other second-hand fashion sites. This sales network has developed in parallel with the official network owned by the house of Chanel and despite its wishes.

The brand is now one of the few fashion houses that sells its ready-to-wear collections only in its own stores and does not have an e-commerce site. “The boutique remains at the heart of the experience we wish to offer our clients_” explains a Chanel advisor in a WhatsApp message. “It is important to us that the discovery of our collections and the first purchase take place in this context.”

The Chanel group is determined to enforce this control and did not hesitate to file a lawsuit against The RealReal in 2018. The action aimed to defend “the principle that even authentic products_ when sold or marketed under poor conditions_ can threaten the integrity of a luxury brand_” as reported by The Fashion Law.

Specifically_ the luxury group accused The RealReal of attempting to mislead consumers into believing that Chanel had authenticated the second-hand fashion items for sale on the platform or that the house had an affiliation with it.

Of course_ the house cannot generally prevent the resale of the Chanel jacket. A fundamental rule of the Intellectual Property Code (CPI) states that the “trademark right” ends after the point-of-sale. In other words_ the brand “exhausts” its right of control over the Chanel jacket once it receives the customer's payment and the sale is complete. If the customer bought the jacket in France_ they can then resell it in the same country or elsewhere in Europe.

This legal freedom has generated a very large stock of Chanel jackets for sale on second-hand fashion channels worldwide. “We always have Chanel pieces_” says Pénélope Blanckaert regarding the Penelope_s auctions. At the time of writing_ 4_433 “Chanel jackets” are listed on the resale site Vestiaire Collective. Yet_ while the quantity is there_ the luxury experience diminishes in the coldness of digital interfaces and the speed of dematerialised transactions.

This is where Tami Kern's work becomes truly meaningful. In keeping with the Chanel spirit_ Kern understands perfectly the importance of the place of purchase. It is through this that the buyer creates a connection with the piece: “it gives it a certain soul_” she says.

One could even argue that the position of a specialist like Kern contributes to the aura of the Chanel jacket. In a world flooded with ultra-realistic counterfeits (“superfakes”)_ independent experts act as a filter of trust. Furthermore_ the care taken in repairing the pieces and the knowledge of their past (who owned it? was it worn for a special occasion_ etc.) contribute to the jacket's iconic status. After all_ is not luxury today also found in the longevity and the history that clothes and accessories experience after their initial sale?