Chanel names Bottega Veneta’s Matthieu Blazy as new creative head

Unlock the Editor’s Digest for free

Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.

Chanel has named Matthieu Blazy as its next creative director of fashion, the first external appointment to the role for the French luxury house since Karl Lagerfeld was brought in to reinvigorate the brand in 1983. 

Bruno Pavlovsky, Chanel’s president of fashion, said the French-Belgian designer would join Chanel in the new year from his current position as creative director of Kering’s Bottega Veneta. He will deliver his first collection for the brand in October 2025. 

Blazy will take the creative reins at one of the best-known brands in fashion amid a sales slump for much of the luxury sector. Chanel, founded in 1910 by milliner and entrepreneur Coco Chanel, has proved one of the more resilient names in the downturn, as consumer weakness holds back growth in China and brands compete for client loyalty. Revenues grew 16 per cent year-on-year to $19.7bn in 2023.

The six-month search for a new designer was extensive, according to Pavlovsky, who “took time” to find “the one”. Blazy, who started his career at Maison Margiela, and later worked with Phoebe Philo at Céline and at Calvin Klein, was not considered by the industry as a frontrunner for the role, with designers such as Hedi Slimane, Loewe’s Jonathan Anderson and Alaïa’s Pieter Mulier all mooted as potential names.

Chanel has not appointed a creative director from outside the house since Karl Lagerfeld joined some 10 years after the founder’s death. His successor Virginie Viard, Lagerfeld’s former head of studio, left the house in June having worked at Chanel for more than 30 years. 

Pavlovsky dismissed talk that the new designer would have to be French, or a woman. “It was not the point. We were open to everything,” he said. “It was not about having a man, or having a woman. It was about the capacity to go to the next step and what is best to push the line.”

Despite the luxury downturn, Pavlovsky said he remains “optimistic for 2025”. This month the brand staged a Métiers d’Art show — designed to showcase the specialist workshops Chanel relies on — in Hangzhou, China, with 2,000 guests and clients. Subsequent sales have been buoyant, said Pavlovsky, adding that the brand saw “a huge interest” in Chinese stores following the show. 

“Chanel is still doing quite well,” he said. “But when there is such a challenging time it’s difficult to continue with energetic growth. The luxury industry is not out of touch with the reality of the economic situation. Clients have to make some choices — it’s part of the game — but, we are doing quite well. It will not be a huge year, but we can continue normal growth.”

Blazy will be handed responsibility for some of the most coveted icons in fashion, including the Chanel jacket (inspired by a bell boy’s uniform seen by Chanel in 1955), the 2.55 quilted handbag, and the two-tone ballet shoe.

The designer has helped make Bottega Veneta a rare success at Paris-listed Kering. Bottega, however, is a far smaller proposition than Chanel, with its eight ready-to-wear and two haute couture shows per year.  

There are also opportunities for expansion. Pavlovsky did not rule out the creation of new categories, such as menswear. “We may discuss in the future,” he said, “but it’s not our first objective. Our objective is to have him on board and to work with him on what we have.”

Chanel remains privately owned by the Wertheimer family, who took a controlling stake in the company in 1924. The house has had its headquarters in London since 2018.