Chanel Appoints Matthieu Blazy as Incoming Creative Direc…

Chanel has a new artistic director of fashion activities.

Women’s Wear Daily reports that the legendary fashion house has appointed Matthieu Blazy, 40, for the role. Blazy previously served as Bottega Veneta’s creative director for three years.

“We hope to be together for 10, 15 years or more. We’re just at the start of our story,” Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion at Chanel, told the outlet. “Together we’ll be able to write a new chapter for the brand.”

Blazy will oversee haute couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories collections. His appointment follows Virginie Viard, who left Chanel last June after being with the house for five years. Blazy will become Chanel’s fourth official creative director in 114 years.

“I am thrilled and honored to join the wonderful house of Chanel. I look forward to meeting all the teams and writing this new chapter together,” Blazy said in a statement.

He will have to wait until the noncompete clause of his contract with Kering expires before assuming the role. On Thursday, Kering and Bottega Veneta announced Louise Trotter as Blazy’s successor.

Bottega appointed Blazy in November 2021, and under his leadership, the luxury house became wildly popular with A-list celebrities including Jacob Elordi, Julianne Moore, ASAP Rocky, Michelle Yeoh, and Kendall Jenner. Blazy previously worked for brands like Raf Simons, Maison Margiela, and Celine.