Chanel SS14 Artclass Yellow Canvas Large Graffiti Backpack — Spring/Summer 2014 Runway

An unmistakable piece from Karl Lagerfeld’s Chanel Spring/Summer 2014 Artclass Collection, this Large Graffiti Backpack is presented in the iconic yellow-toned canvas colourway.

Created for one of Chanel’s most memorable runway collections of the Lagerfeld era, the Artclass Graffiti Backpack combines the house’s classic codes with deliberately raw, street-art-inspired detailing. In the Large format — identifiable by its six and a half quilting rectangles running vertically down the back panel — it is an exceptional collector’s piece and one of the defining accessories of Chanel’s Spring/Summer 2014 collection.

The Artclass Collection — Cultural Significance

For Spring/Summer 2014, Chanel transformed the Grand Palais in Paris into a full-scale contemporary art gallery. Karl Lagerfeld presented a collection inspired by modern art, street culture, graffiti and the visual language of urban painting.

The Artclass Graffiti Backpack became one of the collection’s most recognisable accessories. Its structured canvas body was deliberately treated and printed to evoke the appearance of a well-worn artist’s backpack or a piece taken directly from a Parisian street scene.

Among its defining details are the stencilled CC logo, colourful paint and ink effects, handwritten-style graphics and the unmistakable “31 Rue Cambon Paris” lettering across the lower front — referencing Chanel’s historic Parisian address.

More than a decade after its runway debut, the Graffiti Backpack remains one of the most immediately recognisable and collectible Chanel designs of the 2010s.

Yellow Canvas Colourway

This example features the distinctive yellow-toned canvas, creating a particularly vivid backdrop for the multicoloured graffiti artwork.

Layers of red, blue, black and white graphics contrast against the warm canvas base, while the intentionally distressed treatment gives each element the raw, artistic character for which the Artclass collection became known.

The result is a piece that sits somewhere between a luxury accessory and wearable pop art — unmistakably Chanel, yet intentionally unconventional.

Large Format — The Definitive Version

This example is the desirable Large version of the Artclass Graffiti Backpack.

The size can be distinguished from the smaller format by the six and a half quilting rectangles running vertically down the reverse panel — a useful identifying detail for collectors familiar with the different versions of the model.

The Large format provides considerably more capacity while retaining the structured silhouette and proportions that made the Graffiti Backpack such a distinctive runway piece.

Construction & Details

The backpack features a contrasting camel leather top handle, adjustable shoulder straps and a front zip flap pocketfinished with double CC metal pendants.

Inside, the main compartment includes the characteristic internal keychain detail.

One of the design’s most distinctive elements is its signature rope-and-chain accessory, attached to the leather handle via a fixed red carabiner and detachable via the contrasting blue carabiner. It can be arranged in different configurations, reinforcing the intentionally improvised, street-inspired character of the design.

A highly recognisable piece from Chanel Spring/Summer 2014, combining Karl Lagerfeld’s runway vision with one of the house’s most unconventional and collectible accessory designs.