For almost seven months, after Virginie Viard abruptly exited Chanel in June 2024, the fashion industry has been holding their breath and speculating about who would fill the highly coveted position of Artistic Director. Rumored candidates varied from Simon Porte Jacquemus to Hedi Slimane to John Galliano. On Dec. 12, Chanel issued a statement proclaiming Matthieu Blazy as the Artistic Director of Chanel. Alain Wertheimer, global executive chairman, and Leena Nair, global CEO of Chanel, spoke highly of Blazy in a joint statement, saying he was “one of the most gifted designers of his generation.” His successful commercial leadership, creativity and good reputation make him the perfect fit for the job.
The Paris-born designer graduated from Brussels La Cambre in 2007. He started his career at Raf Simons, then went on to work for Maison Margiela, Celine and Calvin Klein. Blazy joined the Italian fashion house Bottega Veneta in 2020, succeeding Daniel Lee as Creative Director in 2021. His first few shows were well received, making his designs increasingly popular. His handbags in particular, seemed to captivate a wide population. The Sardine bag, a woven leather half circle bag with a thin golden fish handle, was introduced in the Fall 2022 Ready-to-Wear collection. This design, along with others, was highly replicated and became one of 2024’s “It” bags. In the first nine months of Blazy’s leadership, sales increased four percent to €1.23 billion on an annual basis. The minimalist designs and intricate detail led Bottega to become one of Milan’s most favored brands.
On Dec. 6, British designer Louise Trotter was named creative director of Bottega. She was formerly the Creative Director at Carven and Lacoste. Bottega’s Chief Executive Bartolomeo Rongone said in a recent statement “her aesthetic seamlessly combines exquisite design with sublime craft, and her commitment to cultural advocacy aligns beautifully with our brand vision…” Her simplistic yet elegant designs stand out among some of the avant-garde clothes that are produced within the industry. Both Trotter and Blazy focus on blending luxury with functional garments and many expect her to further amplify the company’s ethos of quiet luxury and focus on craftsmanship, like Blazy.
As Artistic Director of a global company such as Chanel, Blazy faces exceedingly high expectations. The brand, founded in the early 1900’s, has a long history, but continuously stays faithful to its classic and iconic designs.
Blazy will be responsible for annually producing two haute couture collections, two ready-to-wear collections, one cruise collection and accessories. Chanel has always maintained its high position in the luxury world (generating over $19 Billion in sales per year) but after Karl Lagerfeld’s death, the brand is in urgent need of freshness and reimagination. Blazy is expected to do just that. Blazy might steer the brand away from excessive branding (as it has sometimes done in the past) and focus on more subtle and refined luxury, paying attention to detail and quality. Nicole Phelps, Global Director of Vogue Runway says, “I expect to see an incredible level of detail and a love for detail in his clothes…” In addition, a new designer always means a new outlook on the classics. It seems as though customers are not as thrilled as they used to be with Chanel’s recent products, but with Blazy’s new vision, the overall aesthetic of Chanel could transform.
By Seren Hughes ‘28, Contributing Writer
