Matthieu Blazy - Designer, Creative Director of Chanel

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Alquimista said:
some of the criticism I read here is just people who don't think Blazy is good for Chanel, regardless of what he designs for the house.

Despite his experiments, Blazy has a sensible touch imo. The photos posted here prove it. He can (not always) balance the textures of the fabrics with the shapes of the cuts. And the team at Chanel is going to help him refine his ideas for sure.

The Chanel shape is mostly rectangular. Karl did some experiments but he followed that formula for most of his collections. Emphasis on the hips, a belted waist at most.
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lol the teams at Chanel have problems of their own with balancing proportions and cuts omg for real all jokes aside.

i agree the Chanel shapes are mostly rectangular etc KL an VV and studios collection have been with odd balance of proportions in collections that look dowdy and old fashioned.

if you see blazy rtw without the styling you get the same feeling of odd proportions he rarely does strict cut and sharp silhouettes

i am afraid it will have to come from Blazy to make it sharp if that even one of his intentions for the chanel silhouettes.


we say same with Lee at Burberry he went to a brand that has a more warm and layers identity with cultural significance and he is still lost in my opinion with not only direction but actual design of the products

blazy is even more indulging in craft so it can be overwhelming and confusing the result ...

time will tell ...but i bet JWA Dior will be more interesting and focused overall image and adv included
 
I am genuinely intrigued about Blazy's first collection.
To me, he has not a strong personality/lacks a repertory of stylistic clichés (word it as you prefer: I think it is a positive quality when you are at a heritage house).

He was re-using garments and fabrics at Margiela Artisanal and doing intrecciato at Bottega. Of course he won't be repeating any of this, as they are codes very attached to these houses.

If you ask me to draw a classic Blazy silhouette, I have no idea.
In a way, that is good.

I can unfortunately predict Demna's debut at Gucci (and I hope he proves me wrong).
But I cannot predict Blazy's debut at Chanel, beyond the obvious codes (tweed, jersey, black and white...), so I am curious about it.
 
proseccotabis said:
The no 1 reason why Kering and Chanel cling onto him I suspect… anyone who exhibits any sort of spectrum of emotions is dead for those senior execs :evil:
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You don’t reach that level by being passive. And maybe it’s an American conception but in France, business people are not as celebrated and tbh, the pedigree of experienced designers is stronger than a lot of executives.

You clearly or probably overestimate the power of French executives in the French fashion landscape. The reality is that they are also overestimate themselves and that’s why there’s so much frustration in their part. A good studio is a place where everybody knows their place.
 
Monsieur Cristobal said:
I am genuinely intrigued about Blazy's first collection.
To me, he has not a strong personality/lacks a repertory of stylistic clichés (word it as you prefer: I think it is a positive quality when you are at a heritage house).

He was re-using garments and fabrics at Margiela Artisanal and doing intrecciato at Bottega. Of course he won't be repeating any of this, as they are codes very attached to these houses.

If you ask me to draw a classic Blazy silhouette, I have no idea.
In a way, that is good.

I can unfortunately predict Demna's debut at Gucci (and I hope he proves me wrong).
But I cannot predict Blazy's debut at Chanel, beyond the obvious codes (tweed, jersey, black and white...), so I am curious about it.
Click to expand...
You hit the nail on the head. This guy does have range. At all houses he worked at he did something different. I think lamenting that he will do intricato at Chanel is a bit silly, you don’t get this job on that notion and idea.
My issue with him as with many designers these days is he obsession with craft, lack of idea about dressing for the times and a severe lack of humor it seems.
 
Lola701 said:
You don’t reach that level by being passive. And maybe it’s an American conception but in France, business people are not as celebrated and tbh, the pedigree of experienced designers is stronger than a lot of executives.

You clearly or probably overestimate the power of French executives in the French fashion landscape. The reality is that they are also overestimate themselves and that’s why there’s so much frustration in their part. A good studio is a place where everybody knows their place.
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I get your point completely, I just meant that one of the important components for hiring someone of that caliber and in general a designer, is someone who’s fuss free and I’ve seen that first hand. This applies to all brands universally i think. People with any type of charisma are shoved under a rug and in corporate also. You need to be made of metal nails to be in there. Sorry if I didn’t make myself clear :(
Passive and almost ice cold is how MB operates in comparison to the likes of Lee , if we could compare them they are people from different galaxies
 
proseccotabis said:
I get your point completely, I just meant that one of the important components for hiring someone of that caliber and in general a designer, is someone who’s fuss free and I’ve seen that first hand. This applies to all brands universally i think. People with any type of charisma are shoved under a rug and in corporate also. You need to be made of metal nails to be in there. Sorry if I didn’t make myself clear :(
Passive and almost ice cold is how MB operates in comparison to the likes of Lee , if we could compare them they are people from different galaxies
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But designers are all aiming for the same goal: creative freedom. And the idea of corporatism is very different in France or Italy compared to US or UK.
I think behind the idea of corporatism from an Anglo-Saxon mindset, there’s this idea of control whereas in France or Italy, it’s more about the weight of Administration. It’s very much cultural to fight that idea of control.

That’s why I don’t subscribe to the idea or the fantasy of hiring Blazy to do the work they want and pull strings from him. They could have done that by simply promoting someone from the studio.

A designer who comes to a house comes with his/her savoir-faire. That savoir-faire would likely change the structure and the habits of a company.

I think behind the fantasy of a Machiavelli Blazy plotting to get the job of Lee, there was also something more pragmatic behind the idea of a life of a studio. They were perfect colleagues at Celine but the power dynamic at BV changed their relationship. But one thing doesn’t have any influence on their talent.

Blazy is after all someone who has has every role possible for a designer in his career. He started as an intern, became an assistant then a design director, then a creative director. He has evolved in companies of different sizes and culture and proved at BV that he could propose something that would serve the brand. I think his confidence comes from that. That’s what is expected from him as a designer.

Galliano was a mess in terms of personality. That’s probably why he had to perform so much to be more than what he is actually. But when it came to his job, he was untouchable. Because in front of the atelier, you have to be quick and relevant.

Because yes, we talk about charisma and everything but it’s irrelevant. Designers at big houses today don’t like the superstars treatment of Karl and others because it can be a destructive fantasy. Where charisma is expected is when you have to explain your concept to the teams and Bruno Pavlovsky or when you have to present a new bag to Bernard Arnault an then, when Madame Cecile is asking a technical question or when you have to say to Olivia that the skirt needs to be shorter and a trim has to be added, even when it’s different to the initial concept.


I just don’t think that not liking Blazy’s work (which is totally fine) is a reason to question his capacities. This is not Alexis Mabille or Christian Siriano or even Jacquemus and the Ludovic de Saint Sernin type….
 
I think that not liking Blazy’s work or parts of it is inherently linked to having reason to question his capacities for X job or reservations for what's to come in this case at Chanel.

it's no different to question any chosen leader weak points or have apprehensions regarding expectations once he or she is in the seat of power. this can be a president or ceo or creative director.

Blazy will have even less freedom/authority than VV (she was a good example of a good employee ) until she had enough etc

I seen it before that certain new Creative director get less freedom/authority while other at the same house demanded more and got more but ultimately the corporate side roars its head and cuts them off.

Blazy being not a Hedi Type of control demanding creative 10000 % plays a big role for Chanel bosses to choose him they don't want a Chanel depended on one creative power house.

Blazy is a strategic hire to boost Chanel craft first propaganda to justify its high pricing strategy in leather goods especially and ongoing negative quilty remarks.

it will be super interesting to see this transition unfold nonetheless and see how Chanel steers itself for the next years to come also as in what type of company it wants to be.

So far its been messy and inconsistent to what they say and do, Chanel has to 2 public speakers on the business side will Blazy be talking on behalf of Chanel? is interesting to see

3 is a crowd they say lol
 
^^
Is it as simple as a mathematic question?
We all loved Raf at Jil Sander. His Dior was a mess….
I hated JWA and I fell in love with his work at Loewe. Didn’t cared that much for Phoebe at Chloe and I adore her work for Celine.

We don’t know what Blazy would do at Chanel. But technically, he is totally capable of doing Chanel. It’s not an aesthetic stretch. They didn’t hired Zuhair Murad for the job.

There was a general consensus when Alexander Wang joined Balenciaga. He didn’t have either the authority and the creative capacity for the job. And it tanked. The first show was great but the limits were there.

I don’t like MGC for Dior. A lot of people don’t. But her work is relevant for Dior. Us not liking her proposition for Dior does not deny the fact that what she proposed for Dior was relevant for the moment.

But the fact that no other designer ever, had the type of Hedi control at Chanel makes the question regarding control irrelevant.

People assumed that Chanel wanted and needed Hedi. Clearly, since the 70’s their formula worked. It worked so much that it became the blueprint behind what Hedi has done at his career. So what would suggest that not wanting someone who require a total creative control of all the activities of the house (that Karl never had) was an option in the first place?

I don’t understand why choosing the CD for the fashion activities suggest a lack of confidence from the brand or of the designer when nothing suggests it’s needed.

Maureen Chiquet became the CEO of Chanel when Bruno Pavlovksy was already the president of the fashion activities. Karl didn’t liked her. She stayed and then eventually the Weirthemers got rid of her.

I’m a bit confused to be honest. The implication that people are just bots à la merci of the CEO over there in London is just ridiculous and if his integrity as a designer was in question I don’t think he would have signed. But then, we haven’t seen a design, a campaign, nothing that would suggest anything.
 
JohannesL said:
Matt would probably struggle between the two.
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Chanel’s codes are not sacred fossils but living organisms.

Will he “struggle between the two”? He was hired to balance heritage and heresy, not to pick sides.

A Chanel CD must be selfish first, generous later. His duty is pleasing the eye, not the critics. So he could use Coco's ease, Karl's flair for spectacle, and most importantly - he should stay in the moment. Blazy should simply cut through the noise, deliver his vision, and never look back. It takes courage. I'm not sure he has it, but we will know soon.
 
Lola701 said:
^^
Is it as simple as a mathematic question?
We all loved Raf at Jil Sander. His Dior was a mess….
I hated JWA and I fell in love with his work at Loewe. Didn’t cared that much for Phoebe at Chloe and I adore her work for Celine.

We don’t know what Blazy would do at Chanel. But technically, he is totally capable of doing Chanel. It’s not an aesthetic stretch. They didn’t hired Zuhair Murad for the job.

There was a general consensus when Alexander Wang joined Balenciaga. He didn’t have either the authority and the creative capacity for the job. And it tanked. The first show was great but the limits were there.

I don’t like MGC for Dior. A lot of people don’t. But her work is relevant for Dior. Us not liking her proposition for Dior does not deny the fact that what she proposed for Dior was relevant for the moment.

But the fact that no other designer ever, had the type of Hedi control at Chanel makes the question regarding control irrelevant.

People assumed that Chanel wanted and needed Hedi. Clearly, since the 70’s their formula worked. It worked so much that it became the blueprint behind what Hedi has done at his career. So what would suggest that not wanting someone who require a total creative control of all the activities of the house (that Karl never had) was an option in the first place?

I don’t understand why choosing the CD for the fashion activities suggest a lack of confidence from the brand or of the designer when nothing suggests it’s needed.

Maureen Chiquet became the CEO of Chanel when Bruno Pavlovksy was already the president of the fashion activities. Karl didn’t liked her. She stayed and then eventually the Weirthemers got rid of her.

I’m a bit confused to be honest. The implication that people are just bots à la merci of the CEO over there in London is just ridiculous and if his integrity as a designer was in question I don’t think he would have signed. But then, we haven’t seen a design, a campaign, nothing that would suggest anything.
Click to expand...
i don't know if my brain work like mathematic but for me weak points + strong points do equate to an idea or expectation neg or plus.

all the designers you mentioned i am fine with there years good or bad at the houses one i never liked was wang at balenciaga post NG was like getting shein version of what NG did .

maybe i don't know how to express it what i see and read between the lines both on the creative output of cd and ceo but time will tell again.

maybe it's best said like this the way: for sure they didn’t hired Zuhair Murad for the job , its the same conviction of clarity i have seeing Blazy´s shortcomings for the job .

and both designers we have not seen yet what they can do for Chanel.

:-)
 
Last edited:
PDFSD said:
i don't know if my brain work like mathematic but for me weak points + strong points do equate to an idea or expectation neg or plus.

all the designers you mentioned i am fine with there years good or bad at the houses one i never liked was wang at balenciaga post NG was like getting shein version of what NG did .

maybe i don't know how to express it what i see and read between the lines both on the creative output of cd and ceo but time will tell again.

maybe it's best said like this the way: for sure they didn’t hired Zuhair Murad for the job , its the same conviction of clarity i have seeing Blazy´s shortcomings for the job .

and both designers we have not seen yet what they can do for Chanel.

:-)
Click to expand...
I´d say Blazy has not done anything truly strong to deserve being CD of Chanel.
 
Lola701 said:
But designers are all aiming for the same goal: creative freedom. And the idea of corporatism is very different in France or Italy compared to US or UK.
I think behind the idea of corporatism from an Anglo-Saxon mindset, there’s this idea of control whereas in France or Italy, it’s more about the weight of Administration. It’s very much cultural to fight that idea of control.

That’s why I don’t subscribe to the idea or the fantasy of hiring Blazy to do the work they want and pull strings from him. They could have done that by simply promoting someone from the studio.

A designer who comes to a house comes with his/her savoir-faire. That savoir-faire would likely change the structure and the habits of a company.

I think behind the fantasy of a Machiavelli Blazy plotting to get the job of Lee, there was also something more pragmatic behind the idea of a life of a studio. They were perfect colleagues at Celine but the power dynamic at BV changed their relationship. But one thing doesn’t have any influence on their talent.

Blazy is after all someone who has has every role possible for a designer in his career. He started as an intern, became an assistant then a design director, then a creative director. He has evolved in companies of different sizes and culture and proved at BV that he could propose something that would serve the brand. I think his confidence comes from that. That’s what is expected from him as a designer.

Galliano was a mess in terms of personality. That’s probably why he had to perform so much to be more than what he is actually. But when it came to his job, he was untouchable. Because in front of the atelier, you have to be quick and relevant.

Because yes, we talk about charisma and everything but it’s irrelevant. Designers at big houses today don’t like the superstars treatment of Karl and others because it can be a destructive fantasy. Where charisma is expected is when you have to explain your concept to the teams and Bruno Pavlovsky or when you have to present a new bag to Bernard Arnault an then, when Madame Cecile is asking a technical question or when you have to say to Olivia that the skirt needs to be shorter and a trim has to be added, even when it’s different to the initial concept.


I just don’t think that not liking Blazy’s work (which is totally fine) is a reason to question his capacities. This is not Alexis Mabille or Christian Siriano or even Jacquemus and the Ludovic de Saint Sernin type….
Click to expand...
A really interesting point Lola thank you for sharing!

I think its very interesting however that nowadays (im itching to say mediocre) indifferent and tolerable designers such as Blazy that have achieved success via luck and good behavior with c suites. but then again my perception of what a great creative director is very different to many customers probably. my cd of choice regardless of what happened in the company is someone like Daniel Lee, Marc Jacobs or Galliano. Because after all what we seek as customers and fashion fanatics is someone with a soul, that infamous charisma and someone who will make us dream. Speaking for myself i dont remember any specific design that Matthieu introduced in bottega. but i wish i could!

I understand your point but i question his capabilities as a designer still because his rtw cannot be worn and the shoe is heeellllaaaa awkward. Meiers and Lees designs were perhaps not this refined or poshy posh #oldmoney #newelegance but at least you could go to the store and leave your months salary on a bag or a coat and you could wear it. That is why as a customer i question who Blazy is as a creative director and as a designer frankly speaking. id love to be proven wrong and i want to be his biggest fan at chanel because we badly need this evolution lol .
 
GLitz Paris

The sudden departure of @chanelofficial artistic director @virginieviard in June 2024 and her replacement six months later by @matthieu_blazy had the company's legal department working overtime.

Indeed, to be able to recruit Blazy, Chanel had to accept a service contract, for which Blazy set up his own company in France.

These types of contracts are prized in that they allow designers to recruit their own teams, without having to consult with the brand they work for, but they can also have significant downsides.

To find out more about Blazy's contract and about how service contracts are used in the industry at large, read the investigative article on our website (link in bio).

Screenshot 2025-04-30 at 21.21.18.png
 
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