Matthieu Blazy, a Franco-Belgian designer with a polymorphic talent, embodies a new era for Chanel. At 40, this discreet yet bold heir of the creative avant-garde succeeds Virginie Viard, inaugurating a promising chapter in the history of the iconic house. His career, marked by stages in the temples of contemporary fashion, weaves a rare balance between innovation and fidelity to traditions.
A childhood nurtured by art and intellectual curiosity
Born in 1984 in Paris into a family of intellectuals, Matthieu Blazy grew up at the crossroads of culture and history. His father, a specialist in pre-Columbian art, and his mother, a historian, shaped an early sensitivity to the forms, stories, and textures of the past. From this heritage, he retains a quest for excellence and a keen eye, assets he hones at La Cambre, a prestigious design school in Brussels, from which he graduates in 2007.
From the outset, Blazy establishes himself as a visionary. His encounter with Raf Simons, then artistic director at Jil Sander, marks a decisive turning point. He then joins the Artisanal team at Maison Margiela, where he gives free rein to uncompromising creativity. In 2013, he designs the iconic masks worn by Kanye West during the Yeezus tour, a project that makes a sensation in the fashion world and captures the attention of major figures such as Suzy Menkes. Blazy is not just a designer: he is a textile storyteller.
An exemplary trajectory in the service of the greatest houses
Matthieu Blazy’s talent unfolds with rare intensity, driven by an extraordinary ability to reinterpret the codes of each house. At Céline, alongside Phoebe Philo, he explores a pure, intimate, and feminine fashion. Then, at Calvin Klein, he accompanies Raf Simons in a bold reinterpretation of Americana.
In 2020, he becomes the right-hand man of Daniel Lee at Bottega Veneta, before taking the reins the following year. Under his direction, the Italian house experiences a true aesthetic renewal. The trompe-l’œil leather jeans, sculptural-shaped bags, and shows orchestrated with artists like Gaetano Pesce reflect a rare mastery of contrasts: age-old craftsmanship and radical modernity, minimalism and opulence.
The man, the artist, the philosopher
Behind Matthieu Blazy’s precision and audacity lies an enigmatic man. Not inclined to media outbursts, he prefers that his work speaks for him. By removing Bottega Veneta‘s presence from social media, he created a model of desire that contrasts with the usual codes of contemporary luxury.
Blazy sees fashion as a perpetual dialogue between intuition and experimentation. "Fashion must be a quest, not an answer," he confided in 2023. His creations, often tinged with a dreamlike touch, embody this philosophy: every seam, every fold tells a story.
Chanel: the challenge of a lifetime
The appointment of Matthieu Blazy as artistic director of Chanel in 2025 represents a historic turning point. In a context where luxury must meet ethical and sustainable aspirations, Blazy seems to be the perfect choice. His first collection, eagerly awaited at the Paris Fashion Week, could well redefine the contours of modern elegance.
For Bruno Pavlovsky, president of Chanel’s fashion activities, "Matthieu Blazy is the man who will know how to combine respect for heritage with creative audacity. With him, Chanel is about to write a new chapter in its history."
Between heritage and revolution
At the helm of Chanel, Blazy will have to marry his taste for sculptural forms and innovative materials with the timeless aesthetic of the house. His arrival marks a gentle but decisive break: where Gabrielle Chanel liberated women and Karl Lagerfeld transcended the codes, Matthieu Blazy could well be the one to offer them a radically modern future.
His imprint is already taking shape: pieces conceived as art objects, an aesthetic that draws as much from the past as from the avant-garde, and a constant dialogue with new societal expectations. Whether on Zendaya, Dua Lipa, or the anonymous figures of tomorrow, Matthieu Blazy infuses a vision where each garment becomes a work of art. The future of Chanel seems more than ever in good hands.
