Chanel Finally Reveals Its New Creative Director: Matthieu Blazy
Bonjour, new Chanel! See all the details on Matthieu Blazy, the new creative director, who is coming straight from a three-year run at Bottega Veneta.
Chanel finally revealed who its next creative director will be after more than six months of the post being empty. Matthieu Blazy will now lead the French fashion house, per the brand's announcement on Thursday.
“I am thrilled and honored to join the wonderful House of Chanel," the 40-year-old designer said in the press release. "I look forward to meeting all the teams and writing this new chapter together."
The French-Belgian designer will lead Chanel fashion across haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections. He will report to Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, and will reportedly begin the role 2025. He'll show his first collection in October, per WWD.
The announcement came swiftly on the heels of news that Blazy officially exited his role at Bottega Veneta, with the two revelations arriving less than an hour apart. Louise Trotter is set to take over at the Italian luxury house. After much anticipation surrounding Virginie Viard's departure from the legendary French fashion house in June, this news settles months of speculation. Viard, who succeeded Karl Lagerfeld in 2019, left the fashion world buzzing with rumors about her successor, and one of the biggest guesses was Blazy.
"I am delighted to welcome Matthieu Blazy. I am convinced that he will be able to play with the codes and heritage of the House, through an ongoing dialogue with the Studio, our Ateliers, and our Maisons d'art," Pavlovsky said in the release, citing his excitement around the designer's "audacious personality, his innovative and powerful approach to creation, as well as his dedication to craftsmanship and beautiful materials."
Blazy was appointed creative director of Bottega Veneta in 2021 and further solidified a name for himself at the Italian luxury house. Blazy began his career as a men's designer for Raf Simons. He also led Maison Margiela's artisanal couture line and worked as the senior designer next to Phoebe Philo at Céline. The musical chairs of creative designers continues.
