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Twenty five years ago Matthieu Blazy was a “wild” teenager, so much so that the Parisian was sent by his parents to Pangbourne College, a British boarding school in Berkshire with a strong naval history. It seems surprising now, considering that the outgoing creative director at Bottega Veneta is reputed for his calm and amiable demeanour. Yet it also makes sense. Whatever discipline and strategy he learnt there may explain how the 40-year-old quietly manoeuvred past a raft of contenders to be announced, last week, as the incoming creative director of Chanel.
The top job at Chanel is arguably the top job in fashion, even if the luxury group, privately owned by the Wertheimer family, sits second in size after Bernard Arnault’s LVMH. Its empire — spanning ready-to-wear, couture, beauty, horlogerie and more — has had only a few rulers: Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who founded the house in 1910; Karl Lagerfeld, who held the post for 36 years until his death in 2019; Virginie Viard, who was ousted last summer after five years; and now Blazy.
His appointment put to an end months of fervent speculation and it couldn’t come soon enough. The luxury industry is suffering fatigue, with profits tepid this year and expected to shrink further in 2025.
“The hope is that [with this], Chanel is going to reinvigorate the industry a little bit,” says Zuzanna Pusz, Head of European Luxury Goods at UBS. “Because historically, it has usually been one big brand leading the way — like Gucci did a decade ago.” This echoes a sentiment expressed by Chanel’s CEO, Bruno Pavlovsky, when he spoke about the search for a new face this summer. “We have to lead,” he said. “No choice.”
Blazy may not be a household name, yet for those in the know, he is hardly a surprise. Ten years ago New York magazine ran a profile of him titled “The most famous designer you’ve never heard of”. At the time, he was the lead designer at Maison Martin Margiela. Raf Simons, one of the most influential designers of his generation, recruited Blazy straight out of the prestigious La Cambre arts school in Brussels; afterwards, he worked with Phoebe Philo at Céline.
As fashion CVs go, it’s hard to do better. “He is a firmly committed and conscientious designer, with a really refined taste level,” says luxury consultant Robert Burke. (The son of a historian mother and an art expert father, Blazy grew up in a deeply cultured home.) “His commitment to quality and innovative design is why his Bottega Veneta did so well.”
Under previous artistic director Daniel Lee, the venerable Italian house known for its work with leather and its hefty prices, had gained a buzzy fashion relevance. Those concerned about whether Blazy could keep the momentum going when he took over in 2021 were swiftly reassured: his own Bottega was witty, sensual and smart. The very first look from the very first show was a deceptively simple vest and jeans; both crafted from expertly worked leather. “I said, ‘Let’s do something mega-craft that is also extremely real,’” he told Vogue. It also felt subtle and sophisticated after fashion’s long love affair with logomania.
While Kering has struggled in the past few years (profits at Gucci, its star label, are particularly down), Bottega Veneta is viewed as a rare success for the conglomerate: it registered 2 per cent growth last year, good work in a difficult market. Blazy did engage with celebrity culture, working with ASAP Rocky, Jacob Elordi and Julianne Moore, but always in a distinctive way. “He did an incredible job,” says Pusz. “He was able to interpret the DNA of the brand into something that was more than just a fashion trend. It felt less ‘hype’.”
When Blazy joined Bottega, he immediately reduced the design teams so they could all convene around one table. His democratic attitude is confirmed by a former colleague who spoke on condition of anonymity. Asked to define Blazy’s approach to design, they say: “Collaborative”. As a leader, “he vastly improved the work/life balance of everyone in the team”, they add, “due to being very conscious of the challenges of the industry when it comes to work environment . . . He will surely be able to challenge the very institutional aspect of a house like Chanel, by bringing his own sense of playfulness.”
Chanel is hardly faltering: last year, the brand reported sales of $19.7bn. However, under Viard, it didn’t ignite wild enthusiasm. “There was nothing wrong with it,” says Burke. “But there was nothing unexpected or exciting about it either.” In fashion, this won’t hold, especially as rival Hermès is snapping at Chanel’s heels. The Wertheimers have presumably chosen Blazy because of his expertise with craft (the brand prides itself on its artisanal traditions) and his ability to justify high cost (one skirt at Bottega Veneta cost $29,000). Much of Chanel’s growth in the past few years has been due to steep pricing rises but this has inevitably come with complaints. Blazy will be expected to quell such critiques, and to bring the focus back to the design.
This is all some way off, though. The designer only starts officially in April, with his first runway show scheduled for October. “If he manages to open a new chapter in the industry, that would be in 2026,” says Pusz. It remains to be seen, too, how much creative control he has been given. Yet whatever the challenges are of taking over such a behemoth, Blazy will surely not panic. The designer said he enjoyed his boarding school days: “The more boundaries you have, the more freedom you can find in the small things.”
louis.wise@ft.com
