The Two C's - Customising Chanel

One thing I noticed when wandering the London markets was the abundance of the interlocking C's. From fake to vintage to DIYed, Camden and Portobello had them all - delicate diamante studs, acrylic logo chains, screen printed perfume bottle tees and the real deal in glass cases.

Before my capital trip I found out about 2.55 bags being customised at a Chanel/Colette collab pop-up shop by artists including Fafi, Kevin Lyons and SO-ME:

Personally I wouldn't have the balls to customise a Chanel handbag (especially not one that costs upwards of £1200!) but a little googling unearthed a wealth of creatives who have used the eponymous logo as a jumping off point for their own DIYs.

The obvious and simple do it yourself is a double C emblazoned white t-shirt - from hand drawn to stencilled the sky's the limit:

juliet polilova

luxenoir

stockholm street style

Feel a little more daring?

(?)

fashion in my eyes

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This now infamous Jak & Jil image of a paper bag 2.55 has led to many more durable copy creations:

fascination drop

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But the Chanel customisation isn't just limited to simple white cotton. Think a little outside the box and you can come up with some original DIYs that are low cost, high impact:

 Make jewellery with authentic Chanel buttons (scour Ebay for vintage and new) like this necklace from Knew 11.

Add large white C stickers to black plastic shades like Audrey Kitching.

Use fabric paint on nude shoes to create a black toe cap a la Chanel's ballet pumps (desilot).

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So, if you can't afford the real deal but want to let a little Coco into your life don't feel guilty at taking a little artistic licence and creating your own design. Even Kaiser Karl is in on the DIYs...

Got your own designer DIY you want to share? Feel free to leave a link in the comments box