One of the fashion industry’s most anticipated appointments, Chanel has selected Matthieu Blazy to succeed Virginie Viard as artistic director. It ends months of speculation after Viard left the French luxury house in June this year. Blazy joins from Bottega Veneta, where he has held the position of creative director since 2021.
'We have a lot of confidence in Matthieu’s capacity to bring modernity and a different approach to Chanel,' Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president for fashion, told the New York Times.
'Matthieu Blazy has respect for the heritage but also a very specific design for ready-to-wear, for silhouettes, for bags, and we like it quite a lot. We want him to push, to test, to go where he feels is right. We don’t want to give the feeling that the brand is stuck,' he continues.
Following Viard's exit earlier this summer after 30 years with the brand - five of them as artistic director - fashion's rumour mill was sent into overdrive, trying to determine her successor. Before joining Bottega Veneta in, Blazy worked for Raf Simons, Calvin Klein, at Celine, under then-creative director Phoebe Philo, and Maison Margiela, where he was responsible for its couture line.
The news of Blazy joining Chanel is the latest shake-up in the game of musical chairs in the world of fashion's creative directors. He is succeeded at Bottega Veneta by Louise Trotter, who previously helmed the French brand Carven. John Galliano announced his departure from Maison Margiela yesterday and the position for Fendi's creative director has yet to be announced.
The designer is expected to join the fashion house next Spring, and show his first collection in October 2025.
Henrik Lischke is the Senior Fashion Features Editor at Grazia. Prior to that, he held the role of commerce writer at British Vogue, and was junior fashion editor at The Sunday Times Style. A first-class honours Fashion Journalism graduate from UAL: London College of fashion, Henrik is invariably on the lookout for the newest talent in fashion, that is driving the industry forward, and shining the spotlight on them whenever possible. He’s also got a passion for interiors design and the arts.