After a six-month vacancy, Chanel has announced its new artistic director as French-Belgian designer, Matthieu Blazy. But what will he bring to the label?
The 40-year-old creative head comes to the role from the Italian fashion house, Bottega Veneta, where he was creative director from 2021-24.
Succeeding Virginie Viard, a long-time Chanel employee who took over from Karl Lagerfeld after his death in 2019, Blazy is a fresh face for the heritage French fashion house.
“Blazy has such a contemporary eye, which will help Chanel connect with younger shoppers,” said Oriona Robb, a fashion stylist who has worked with labels including Dior and Ferragamo.
“He’s already shown [at Bottega Veneta that] he knows how to use texture, colour and design to create pieces that feel cool and desirable. I also imagine we’ll see him leaning more into digital storytelling and creative campaigns to draw in a new audience.”
Bottega Woven Bag (Alamy/PA)
Matthieu Blazy is credited for making Bottega Veneta’s woven bag a cult classic, this is one of the many accolades that place him as the seemingly perfect choice for the luxury label.
Raised in Paris, Blazy studied at the prestigious La Cambre in Brussels, where his graduate collection landed him a job with Raf Simons.
In 2011, Blazy joined Maison Margiela, where he oversaw the couture and ready-to-wear collections. He then went on to work alongside industry greats like Phoebe Philo at Celine, becoming design director of women’s ready-to-wear at Calvin Klein in 2016.
Blazy joined Bottega Veneta as design director of ready-to-wear in 2020, and when the house’s then-creative director, Daniel Lee, left for Burberry in 2021, Blazy succeeded him as creative head.
“His design style is minimal and effortless,” says fashion psychologist Shakaila Forbes-Bell.
“His designs after Daniel Lee are very ‘less is more’ in my opinion.”
His refined approach isn’t just reserved for aesthetics. Upon becoming creative head at Bottega Veneta, Blazy brought an inclusive management style, which visual artist Anne Collier called “egalitarian”, and shrank the design team while getting the makers and craftspeople involved in the creative process.
This may be a sudden gear shift for the traditional brand of Chanel. The last time it faced such avant-garde reform was when Karl Lagerfeld took over in 1983 to save the “near-dead brand” following Coco Chanel’s death over 10 years prior.
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- Coco Chanel, 1968 (Alamy/PA)
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- Claudia Schiffer in Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel (Alamy/PA)
Lagerfeld reinvented the so-called ‘stuffy’ French label by first integrating the interlocking ‘CC’ monogram into ready-to-wear pieces and reinventing the Chanel silhouette.
He modernised the conservative suit and skirt set by padding the shoulder, shortening and tightening the skirt, raising the heel and enlarging or miniaturising the accessories. These were all incredibly controversial moves as the brand’s founder, Coco, had always disapproved of above-the-knee skirts.
This experimental and controversial approach is something Blazy has also proven during his time at Bottega Veneta. For example, in 2021, Blazy introduced the trompe-l’œil denim leather trousers, which went viral thanks to Kate Moss’ nonchalant catwalk appearance paired with a relaxed check shirt.
More memorable pieces than the denim-looking leather trousers was Blazy’s introduction of the ‘Andiamo’ bag and the knitted sock-slippers, which shortly became cult classics.
Blazy’s ability to create viral trending pieces put him on the map as a one-to-watch designer. His success in reinventing Bottega’s accessories into timeless classics meant that the luxury label was the only house in the Kering roster to make a profit in the conglomerate’s 2023 third quarter. This led to Blazy being dubbed the “Magician of Milan” by fashion journalist Vanessa Friedman.
Robb added: “What Blazy did at Bottega was so clever. He brought ‘quiet luxury’ to the forefront, showing that simplicity can still be exciting. I imagine he’ll bring a similar energy to Chanel, perhaps toning down some of the overly flashy elements in favour of impeccable detail and quality. It’s about letting the craftsmanship speak for itself.”
“It’s never easy taking on a house with such a strong identity… the biggest challenge will be keeping Chanel’s DNA intact while still making it relevant for today’s audience. There’s always a risk of alienating purists if he goes too far in pushing boundaries, but I think Blazy has the subtlety to pull it off.”
While many see Blazy as a perfect fit, some say he could push the boundaries too far at the conservative fashion house. Fashion and trend expert, Karine Laudort, said: “Chanel’s rich history can be both a strength and a constraint. It will be critical to maintain a balance between innovation and tradition.
“It won’t be easy to follow in the footsteps of Virginie Viard whilst upholding Karl Lagerfeld’s monumental legacy, but one can hope Blazy will be able to carve his own path.”
As for Blazy’s path, we’ll have to wait and see what that looks like.
