08/10/2025

LYFE WEDNESDAY | OCT 8, 2025

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New man at Chanel’s helm M ATTHIEU Blazy had the whole fashion world watching his every move as he made his recent debut at Chanel. But who is o After successful stint at Bottega Veneta, Matthieu Blazy moves to French luxury house

with Belgian fashion master Raf Simons, a mentor and former boss on two occasions. Blazy grew up in Paris with his art expert father and historian mother, along with a twin sister and brother. “Tom Sawyer was my childhood hero,” he told The New York Times in an interview last year, referring to the free-spirited titular character of Mark Twain’s novel. His own teenage rebelliousness led to him being sent to boarding schools in France and England. Having obtained his high school diploma, he went on to study fashion at La Cambre art school in Brussels and was hired after graduation by Simons, kickstarting a career that has seen him rapidly rise through major European and American labels. He first came to public attention while designing as part of an anonymous collective that put together a collection for France’s Maison Margiela in 2014. British fashion journalist Suzy Menkes was so impressed by his work using rare fabrics that she “outed” him in an article in Vogue. “You can’t keep such a talent under wraps,” she wrote. That helped propel him further, leading to jobs at Celine as well as Calvin Klein where he worked under Simons again, this time in New York. Their two-year stint in the US ended abruptly when they were fired in 2018, leaving Blazy standing in the street with a cardboard box containing his office possessions. – AFP

Chanel has been around for 115 years, having been founded in 1910.

the 41-year-old designer? The Franco-Belgian is relatively low-key compared with the celebrity couturiers he beat to the job, and was poached by Chanel after a successful three-year stint at Kering-owned Bottega Veneta. The new job is a massive promotion and career boost, taking him from a medium-sized Italian label to the world’s second-largest luxury clothing brand with sales of around US$20 billion (RM84.28 billion) annually. Said to have impressed with his in-depth presentations during the recruitment process at Chanel, he embodies “a new generation with sincere humility”, Chanel fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky said of Blazy when his nomination was announced last December. The compliment about his character underlined one of his perceived qualities: the lack of a huge ego in an industry famed for them. That is seen as a good fit for Chanel’s discreet family owners

Blazy is credited for several Bottega Veneta iconic staples such as the Drop earrings.

Raf Simons friendship A heavy smoker, often modestly dressed in just jeans and t-shirt, Blazy collects art and is close friends

Alain and Gerard Wertheimer. They were looking for a loyal figure to become only the fourth creative director in the brand’s fabled history. “Chanel is a privately owned family house. “The brand can take a long-term approach and allow time for things,” Serge Carreira, a fashion expert at the Sciences Po university in Paris, said after Blazy’s nomination. Blazy’s biggest challenge will be moving the Chanel look on from the 40-year period defined by its legendary designer Karl Lagerfeld. Until last year, the house was directed by Virginie Viard, the late Lagerfeld’s handpicked successor. Creative edge Blazy won widespread praise for his work at Bottega Veneta, helping modernise the look of the classic Italian leather-goods house, making it more playful and daring, while also expanding its product range. He oversaw the launch of its first fragrances and high-end jewellery, and updated the brand’s classic “intrecciato” woven patterns with hit bags such as Kalimero, Andiamo and Sardine. One of his first projects was designing a pair of US$7,000 jeans from leather printed with a denim pattern that made them look like the cotton versions. His shows at Milan Fashion Week, attended by celebrities such as Julianne Moore and Jennifer Lawrence, quickly became “a top highlight, consistently among the hottest tickets”, noted The Business of Fashion’s luxury editor Robert Williams. Chanel is a different scale, however, meaning “the pressure to back up that creative edge with wearable designs is certainly a lot higher”, said Williams. Blazy soft-launched some of his first designs at the Venice Film Festival this year. British film star Tilda Swinton was seen in loosely cut white trousers and a short-sleeved blouse.

Blazy’s new job at Chanel is a massive promotion and career boost.

Among Bottega Veneta staples that

Blazy was responsible for is the Baby Sardine mini bag. – PICS FROM INSTAGRAM @MATTHIEU_BLAZY

Blazy’s Spring/Summer 2026 for Chanel’s teaser poster. – PICS FROM INSTAGRAM @CHANELOFFICIAL