Chanel is strengthening its cultural initiatives with celebrations for its centenary in the U.K.

The French brand is launching Arts & Culture Magazine, a publication that revisits the brand’s work with artists and cultural institutions in the last five years. The project is led by Chanel’s Culture Fund and Yana Peel, the president of arts, culture and heritage at the brand.

To inaugurate the publication, Chanel has taken over the Foreign Exchange News in Bayswater in London until June 28.

The first issue of Arts & Culture Magazine, otherwise known as Vol. 1, will also be available in 20 bookstores worldwide including shops in Amsterdam, Bangalore, Bangkok, Berlin, Glasgow, Hong Kong, Los Angeles, Mexico City, Milan, New York, Paris, São Paulo, Seoul, Shanghai, Sydney, Taipei, Tokyo and Zurich.

The magazine will be carried by Foreign Exchange News, Tenderbooks, Rococo News & Magazines and Reference Point in London and RIPE Mags in Glasgow.

The magazine is a visual feast with multiple paper types across 250 pages produced in English. Chanel has asked the creatives involved to share their insights on the future.

The launch of Arts & Culture Magazine is part of the brand’s push for supporting print and bookstores around the world. The magazine’s cover uses items from Gabrielle Chanel’s personal collection: a statue bust of the designer made by Jacques Lipchitz in 1921 wearing metallic Chanel sunglasses from the brand’s fall 2002 show shot by Roe Ethridge.

Other images in the issue include a white shell-like tray with gold interiors that holds an array of pearls with a bottle of Chanel No. 5 and a colored seashell, and a collage of lion prints, which is a subtle hint to the founder’s zodiac sign.

Last week, Chanel toasted to its 100 years in the U.K. with an intimate 100-guest dinner and a ballet performance behind a Pablo Picasso stage cloth at the V&A East Storehouse in Stratford’s Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park.

“Everything goes back to Gabrielle and the U.K. still has this special place for the house because we still source tweed and cashmere from the U.K.,” Elizabeth Anglès d’Auriac, president of Chanel U.K., told WWD.

“Things become evident and ideas bubble up when you start getting interested in your local environment, your clients and the culture environment. We always think about creation, creativity and craftsmanship — it’s our heritage, but it’s also in our present and future,” she said.

Céline Assimon, the former chief executive officer of De Beers Jewellers, has been appointed chief commercial officer at Bonhams, the international auction house headquartered on New Bond Street, WWD has learned.

Her appointment was confirmed in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday morning.

“Excited to share that I have joined Bonhams as chief commercial officer. I am privileged to be a part of this international auction house, which was established in 1793 in London, and I look forward to contributing to its rich legacy. A big thank you to Chabi Priscilla Nouri and Hans-Kristian Hoejsgaard for their [Nouri and Hoejsgaard] trust,” Assimon said in a post.

Bonhams, founded in 1793, is one of the four original Georgian London auction houses. It is owned by Epiris, the UK-based private equity company, and has 14 salesrooms across the globe, selling items in more than 60 collecting categories.

Assimon joined De Beers in 2020 and left at the end of February.

As reported, De Beers wished her “the very best for all future endeavors,” and said a search is underway to recruit a successor.

The company said Assimon “successfully repositioned De Beers Jewellers as a design-led luxury brand through the expansion of our creative product portfolio in core collections and high jewelery.”

It added that Assimon “built the jeweler’s global brand presence through relationships with market leading partners and laid the groundwork for the launch of its Rue de la Paix flagship store in Paris later this year.”

The brand is set to open the flagship in the fourth quarter in a building that has recently been renovated.

De Beers also credited Assimon with revamping the look and feel of the brand.

“Over the course of nearly five years, I have thoroughly enjoyed my role as the custodian of De Beers Jewellers,” said Assimon, adding that she was particularly proud of the rebranding and upcoming ad campaign.

“Collaborating with my team to research and articulate its distinctive DNA has been a remarkable adventure. The blend of African heritage with a touch of London sophistication resonates deeply,” she added.

As London prepares for a series of art sales and fairs including Frieze, which runs from Oct. 9 to 13, Paul Smith has his own creative ambitions.

The British designer has announced the opening of Paul Smith Space, a permanent gallery situated in the basement of his flagship on 9 Albemarle Street in Mayfair.

The first exhibition to take place at the gallery will be “Fabric of Life,” from Oct. 10 to Nov. 18, curated by Catherine Loewe in collaboration with digital producer Vortic.

The showcase will dive into the personal, social, political and cultural histories of textiles. It will also look at different methods of the way fabrics are used, from weaving, embroidery, dyeing to sewing and more.

“Fabric of Life” will feature work from artists including Hangama Amiri, Sara Berman, Bea Bonafini, Tiffanie Delune, Delphine Dénéréaz and Camilla Emson.

Smith, an art and antiques collector, is adding his own artistic touch to the space with a VR viewing of his own furniture and textile designs for the Paul Smith brand.

The designer’s store has previously hosted the work of artists such as Dale Chihuly, Pat Vale and Yvonne Robert.

As part of the new initiative, Smith has named Katie Heller as art and exhibitions manager of the Paul Smith Space.

She will also coordinate art partnerships and hone the brand’s relationships with the art world. Heller has previously held positions at Soho House and Whitechapel Gallery.