Matthieu Blazy
Artistic director of fashion at Chanel (appointed December 2024)
Matthieu Blazy is a French Belgian designer who was appointed to lead fashion collections at Chanel in December 2024 and showed his debut collection in October 2025. He previously led Bottega Veneta, where his craft driven approach made him one of the most closely watched designers in luxury.
| Role | Leads fashion collections at Chanel |
|---|---|
| Organisation | Chanel |
| Appointed | December 2024 |
| Debut | 6 October 2025, Grand Palais, Paris |
| Previous role | Creative director, Bottega Veneta (2021 to 2024) |
| Born | 1984, Paris |
Who is Matthieu Blazy?
Matthieu Blazy, born in Paris in 1984 to a French father and a Belgian mother, is the designer in charge of fashion collections at Chanel. Chanel announced his appointment in December 2024, and he succeeded Virginie Viard, who had led the collections after the death of Karl Lagerfeld in 2019. He is only the fourth designer to lead the house's fashion collections.
Career
Blazy studied at La Cambre in Brussels and interned at Balenciaga and John Galliano. After graduating he joined Raf Simons, then worked at Maison Margiela from 2011 to 2014 on the artisanal line. He moved to Céline as a senior designer under Phoebe Philo from 2014 to 2016, and to Calvin Klein as design director of women's ready to wear from 2016 to 2019.
He joined Bottega Veneta in 2020 and became its creative director in November 2021. His collections there became known for leather crafted to look like other materials, such as trompe l'oeil leather trousers that resembled denim, and for a quiet, product focused approach that won strong reviews.
- 2011 to 2014: Maison Margiela artisanal line
- 2014 to 2016: Céline under Phoebe Philo
- 2016 to 2019: Calvin Klein
- 2021 to 2024: creative director, Bottega Veneta
- December 2024: appointed at Chanel
- October 2025: Chanel debut at the Grand Palais
Influence on the fashion business
Blazy's first Chanel ready to wear collection, for spring/summer 2026, was shown at the Grand Palais in Paris on 6 October 2025. It reworked house codes such as tweed suiting and included a collaboration with the Paris shirtmaker Charvet. He presented his first haute couture collection for Chanel in January 2026 and his second in July 2026.
His appointment is significant because Chanel is privately owned and one of the largest luxury fashion businesses in the world. The choice of a designer with a reputation for craft and product rather than spectacle reflects a wider move in luxury towards quality, savoir faire and long term desirability after a period of rapid price increases across the sector.
Why it matters
Blazy's career path, from studio roles under several of the most influential designers of the past two decades to the top creative job at Chanel, shows how luxury houses now value designers with deep technical and atelier experience. His work at Chanel will be a key indicator of how heritage houses renew their offer while protecting their core codes.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Matthieu Blazy?
Matthieu Blazy is a French Belgian designer born in 1984 who leads fashion collections at Chanel. He was appointed in December 2024 after three years as creative director of Bottega Veneta.
When was Matthieu Blazy's first Chanel show?
His first Chanel ready to wear show took place at the Grand Palais in Paris on 6 October 2025. His first haute couture collection for the house followed in January 2026.