Matthieu Blazy at Chanel: What Does It Mean?
A creative director and some consistency: is Matthieu Blazy ready to redefine the visual narrative of Chanel? A story of craftsmanship, material research, and a less ephemeral idea of celebrity – live at the Grand Palais
Chanel: Matthieu Blazy – Jacob Elordi’s pink sweater
Chanel breaks with the tradition of the morning show and chooses an evening slot to unveil its new collection: on October 6th, at 8 p.m., at the Grand Palais. For a maison so rooted in ritual, the choice carries a clear symbolic meaning: redefining the liturgy of the runway, adapting it to a form of storytelling that is both more spectacular and more intimate.
Matthieu Blazy at Chanel today. A man almost 190 centimeters tall, with a youthful, handsome face. Until now, Blazy has demonstrated conceptual design, developing artisanal skill and experiments conducted both by hand and with a sewing machine. One example is the pink sweater worn by Jacob Elordi, playfully mimicking donkey ears: a V-neck, double-layered, where the continuity between the two levels becomes an act of design speculation. It is a synthesis of what fashion design can be today—creativity applied to craftsmanship—standing apart from mere styling. A sweater that can properly be defined as a “piece”: not a work of art, since it is an industrially replicated garment produced in countless versions, but a fashion piece able, on its own, to symbolize an entire aesthetic and a broader vision.
Chanel: Matthieu Blazy – creative directors as celebrities, the case of Jonathan Anderson
Blazy leads Chanel at a time when creative directors are no longer simply designers but public figures. In recent years, the idea of fame has been diluted, captured by influencers who built popularity on excess and ridicule. Today, however, celebrity can also belong to those who operate with intellectual and aesthetic complexity. It is a point of respect for fashion—one that the industry badly needs.
The example of Jonathan Anderson, represented by the American agency UTA – United Talent Agency, which usually handles actors, singers, and models, proves that creativity is now intertwined with the logic of celebrity. Fashion design is no longer confined to the runway but extends to the cultural and media landscape. And if creative directors are now comfortable within the realm of celebrity, Chanel’s creative director stands at the very center of it.
Chanel: Matthieu Blazy – when many expected Hedi Slimane
The name many expected was Hedi Slimane, who last autumn left Celine, and whom Karl Lagerfeld himself had repeatedly indicated as his potential successor—for both coherence and daring. Chanel’s ownership reportedly leaned toward him, while management remained cautious. The concern was Slimane’s inclination to intervene in every area of the brand, from fashion to cosmetics, even communication. Just as he removed the accent from Céline, some wondered what symbols he might reshape at Chanel.
Even though the commercial strength of a Chanel men’s line would have been considerable, the maison chose Blazy. It was a signal of balance: the image of a serious, reliable designer, respectful of heritage and craftsmanship. The consistency of his work at Bottega Veneta, built on the study of artisanal skills, offered the strongest point of contact with Chanel.
Chanel: Matthieu Blazy – the Métiers d’Art
In France, there is a formal and institutional recognition of the Métiers d’Art: a list of artisans and workshops protected as national heritage for their manual expertise and tradition. Chanel has long celebrated this culture with its annual Métiers d’Art show in December, a collection created with the maison’s own ateliers: weavers, embroiderers, leatherworkers whose excellence has earned them official recognition.
With Blazy, this dimension of continuity finds a natural heir. His ability to turn technique into creative language makes him the right profile to safeguard and renew this heritage without distorting it.
Chanel: Matthieu Blazy – tweed, Coco Chanel, sustainability
Tweed remains Chanel’s most incisive code of identity. From a technical fabric, it has become a canvas for experimentation, incorporating bouclé, metallic, and plastic yarns, decorations, and embroidery. The results have often been distinctly feminine, at times bordering on the overly ornate. Yet Coco Chanel herself introduced a masculine and austere edge: trousers, naval uniforms, black and white discipline. Perhaps it is within this tension that Blazy can intervene—restoring some of that original austerity to the language of the maison.
Sustainability will be another crucial theme. Today, many of Chanel’s distinctive textile constructions rely on stable fibers, resins, and coatings. Blazy could direct research toward alternative processes and materials, elevating sustainability from an overused buzzword into a substantive industrial and entrepreneurial priority.
Chanel, Cartier, and the global market
Geopolitics has become integral to contemporary luxury. Chanel’s most recent Métiers d’Art show took place near Shanghai, underscoring China’s ongoing strategic importance. Cartier, another French powerhouse, also chose Shanghai to launch both cultural and commercial initiatives.
In China, a growing sense of national pride fuels the success of local supply chains. In the United States, trade policies harden tariffs and disrupt global flows. Within this polarized scenario, Europe is called upon to redefine itself as a cultural and manufacturing power—a land of freedom and innovation. Chanel, as an independent maison, becomes a privileged lens through which to observe these shifts.
Chanel: Matthieu Blazy – rigor, consistency, respect
The path forward is clear: rigor. Rebuilding a European short supply chain, restoring value to the word “sustainability,” and giving substance to a communication that is less flashy and more grounded. In a context dominated by global power blocs, this can become Europe’s chance to act with unity.
With Matthieu Blazy, Chanel appears to be moving toward a direction of seriousness and coherence. Three coordinates define this new chapter: rigor, consistency, respect. And this is what all those who remain in love with fashion hope to see in Chanel’s new season.
