Matthieu Blazy - Designer, Creative Director of Chanel

[Lola701]

of course around the world women and men with luxury rtw or acc do take public transport but i think the feeling is more nuanced that the quick knee jerk comment of the tube x chanel girl /woman :
like i think if the apartment was more to the chanel client level taking the subway would be the realistic balance but it's all in a environment of a young couple starting out in the big city which is more far fetched and disconnected to have both in head to toes Chanel.
(if it was tokey ok small apartment and lots of designer stuff is more realistic like the Happy Victims by Kyoichi Tsuzuki series
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over all the vid to me shows lack of refinement in concept and world building the pulling of the suit is also bad you see parts at the leg already falling apart before the effects takes place ...thing being on set you would retake with the chanel budget its just not an excuse even if talent was only available for a short amount of hours.

its a 19 billion euro a year turnover company not a side art project

Your comment is more nuanced than « someone wearing Chanel don’t take the subway ».
But I agree and that’s what I didn’t necessarily fully understood around the movie. We aren’t in the early 00’s so we cannot simply see Chanel as a HF brand but also as a bastion for luxury.

So yes for me the disconnect has more to do with their apartment and their way of living, emphasized by their way of dressing than taking the subway.

But at the same time, it’s very Gondry, so I guess we all should throw tomatoes at Matthieu for choosing him lol. It’s a harmful anecdotical film. It will probably stay anecdotical lol.

But yes, I would like to believe that in 2025, women and men who likes wearing the finest things would also like living in a fine environment.

It would have worked if she was styled in a less bourgeois way.

But I would admit it, when I’m wearing a full Chanel suit, it’s car only. And preferably, I don’t drive lol.

 

[PDFSD]

Your comment is more nuanced than « someone wearing Chanel don’t take the subway ».
But I agree and that’s what I didn’t necessarily fully understood around the movie. We aren’t in the early 00’s so we cannot simply see Chanel as a HF brand but also as a bastion for luxury.

So yes for me the disconnect has more to do with their apartment and their way of living, emphasized by their way of dressing than taking the subway.

But at the same time, it’s very Gondry, so I guess we all should throw tomatoes at Matthieu for choosing him lol. It’s a harmful anecdotical film. It will probably stay anecdotical lol.

But yes, I would like to believe that in 2025, women and men who likes wearing the finest things would also like living in a fine environment.

It would have worked if she was styled in a less bourgeois way.

But I would admit it, when I’m wearing a full Chanel suit, it’s car only. And preferably, I don’t drive lol.

But Blazy could have challenged him on let say the apartment choice as Chanel is the client and with creative collaboration you should have a balance for a brand project but ...i honestly think blazy likes the arte povera belgium edition sad interiors lol

yes the look is so stiff lady and it makes the contrast juts more painfully clear even if the buttons spell chanel its too bourgeois.

look at his Bottega ads see the back grounds are always gritty and sad

 

[Lola701]

But Blazy could have challenged him on let say the apartment choice as Chanel is the client and with creative collaboration you should have a balance for a brand project but ...i honestly think blazy likes the arte povera belgium edition sad interiors lol

yes the look is so stiff lady and it makes the contrast juts more painfully clear even if the buttons spell chanel its too bourgeois.

look at his Bottega ads see the back grounds are always gritty and sad
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But see I don’t find the contrast that shocking in the BV ads. Those looks are rather relaxed.

Karl has done campaigns in not fancy environments, I think about the one with Angela Lindvall for SS2001, the campaign for the SS2016 or even the campaign for the supermarket collection.

When the looks gives « fashion » more than luxury, the contrast can be interesting.

But when you go full on luxury, go for it!

I’m so curious to know where they will show.

They did the train station, the Chanel store and the MET.
I wonder if it will be a street thing like Virginie did in Manchester.

 

[hamburgers]

 

[jeanclaude]

WTF is this...Chanel by Benny Hill???

 

[LadyJunon]

WTF is this...Chanel by Benny Hill???

This should be the show finale.

 

[Kimihiro]

Personally I think it’s too early to call Blazy’s Chanel. There’s still MDA and Couture coming. I’m hoping he’ll pull through and I didn’t think his debut was bad. I’m happy they’re not overexposing even if they’re on the verge of. In contrast to JWA at Dior where the customs they parade around red carpet makes you feel hopeless unless he comes around with couture. Too many ambassadors in questionable frocks.

What’s common with these appointments I think, is that even just a decade ago high fashion meant flattering and fitting. No matter how serious or dark there was glamour which is glaringly absent now. All these pretense of modernity with a more relaxed silhouette isn’t working and reveals that these creative directors, not fashion designers, are seemingly ill-equipped for the metiers they were thrusted to. What is couture and high fashion if it tries to be mundane?

 

[blackcherrified]

I AM SORRY I CANNOT UNSEE THIS!

 

[TurkicMongol]

It is a very cheap concept to begin with but it might also be a deliberate marketing strategy to appeal to the mass. As a not-so-rich person, I understand the phenomenon of brainwashed young people try saving up for some luxury items to stand out in the crowd like in this video, but it just proves everything wrong about high fashion and luxury right now. It's a still a small club, and you ain't in it.

 

[LadyJunon]

It is a very cheap concept to begin with but it might also be a deliberate marketing strategy to appeal to the mass. As a not-so-rich person, I understand the phenomenon of brainwashed young people try saving up for some luxury items to stand out in the crowd like in this video, but it just proves everything wrong about high fashion and luxury right now. It's a still a small club, and you ain't in it.

It's definitely a marketing ploy based of relatability, especially because I can imagine that a lot of Chanel's revenue comes from makeup and perfume sales with bags probably being a close second, so they're trying to reinforce that.

As I say that, it's interesting that Blazy has avoided the classic styles so far. Most of the time, it's either a seasonal reinterpretation (the shoes and the tweed) or something completely new (the bag). It's a obvious sign that Chanel is trying to bury Lagerfeld's look (or Viard's pale imitation). If this is to happen, they need to make sure that there's a selection of classics for the stores in seasonal colourways.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Besides, his taste of shoes is….

I don’t expect anything better from a disciple of Phoebe and Raf, as well as knowing what his shoes at BV already looked like…

 

[Norden]

I’m not really a fan of that video, I think the work or Gondry is very locked in a certain era that doesn’t really fit today. To me this video and approach speaks to a more ‘the New Yorker’ kind aesthetic, very cozy and certain type of city romance. My ongoing view is that yes it feels fresher and more modern than what we’ve seen Chanel do so far, but it’s still messy and unprecise. I also hate that jacket, that fringe in the neck looks so uncomfortable, she’s being strangled by craft. I expect the show to fall in line with his debut, because these collections where obviously started at the same time, if he’s going to make any adjustments to his work at Chanel it will be one or two collections away from this.
Personally I think it’s too early to make a final judgement on his approach to Chanel, there’s many creative directors that take a couple of seasons to find their approach, and with a house as large and layered as Chanel I think time is of the essence. He just needs to not give us BV with Chanel textures.

 

[PDFSD]

It's definitely a marketing ploy based of relatability, especially because I can imagine that a lot of Chanel's revenue comes from makeup and perfume sales with bags probably being a close second, so they're trying to reinforce that.

As I say that, it's interesting that Blazy has avoided the classic styles so far. Most of the time, it's either a seasonal reinterpretation (the shoes and the tweed) or something completely new (the bag). It's a obvious sign that Chanel is trying to bury Lagerfeld's look (or Viard's pale imitation). If this is to happen, they need to make sure that there's a selection of classics for the stores in seasonal colourways.

FRAGRANCE AND BEAUTY now is max 34 % of total rev./sales not bigger than acc and rtw.​

This myth keep showing up regarding Chanel is beauty and fragrance lol, so her some recent facts :

Chanel full-year revenues went down 4% in 2024​

2024 total revenue: $18.7billion of that its estimated Beauty Sales are now : $6.5 billion (est.) double almost since 2020 $3.4 billion.

(Our 2024 performance follows a period of unprecedented growth for Chanel in which revenues nearly doubled over the previous three years,” said Chanel’s global CEO Leena Nair on a call with Vogue Busines)

CHANEL BY REGION
By region, Chanel’s growth in 2024 was led by Europe (up 0.6 per cent). The Americas were down 4.2 per cent and Asia Pacific down 7.1 per cent.
By category, the fashion business “experienced a more challenging context in mainland China, but this was partially offset by strong performance in Japan and Europe”
FRAGRANCE AND BEAUTY
Beauty Sales: $6.5 billion (est.)
Fragrance and beauty was driven by makeup and skincare, while the watches and fine jewellery division experienced “dynamic growth”.

CHANEL USA
On the US market: “ The US in 2024 was under pressure due to a quite difficult macroeconomic environment. We believe in the US as a long-term opportunity. We continue to invest in the US. We’ve opened a new flagship on Fifth Avenue. We have expanded our boutique in Dallas. We are totally confident that the US remains a land of opportunity for us.”

CHANEL CHINA
Nair also stressed the long-term potential of China. “It’s one of the most dynamic and important markets for the luxury ecosystem. The pace of adoption of luxury, the frontiers of online/offline retail. We opened 15 new boutiques in 2024. In 2025, we’ll open another 15 boutiques, and we continue to do a lot of investment in celebration in China.”

 

[PDFSD]

Susanna Nicoletti

CHANEL this is NOT a joke.

It is part of the most recent movement in which creative directors:💯

- disregard the brand codes (destroyed iconic bags, symbols cancelled, styling that completely turns the brand into a different direction)
- impose their own shabby aesthetics
- think they are bigger and have more traction than legacy and heritage✍️
- neglect the existing customer base to conquer a non-existent one
- demonstrate a total lack of knowledge about brand management 🫰

It’s part of the Schumpeterian creative destruction I first mentioned in my book “Luxury Unlocked” (2020) still available on Amazon. 🤭
They are taking down the industry but not rebuilding a new one.

 

[swss]

I don’t expect anything better from a disciple of Phoebe and Raf, as well as knowing what his shoes at BV already looked like…

I like phoebe’s shoes, and honestly I don’t hate raf but him I don’t know.. feel like he is a pretentious person hah

 

[Lola701]

It's definitely a marketing ploy based of relatability, especially because I can imagine that a lot of Chanel's revenue comes from makeup and perfume sales with bags probably being a close second, so they're trying to reinforce that.

As I say that, it's interesting that Blazy has avoided the classic styles so far. Most of the time, it's either a seasonal reinterpretation (the shoes and the tweed) or something completely new (the bag). It's a obvious sign that Chanel is trying to bury Lagerfeld's look (or Viard's pale imitation). If this is to happen, they need to make sure that there's a selection of classics for the stores in seasonal colourways.

As @PDFSD explained and as Karl explained a bit before his death, Chanel has been making more with their fashion than beauty business.
The myth of big big businesses supported by the beauty entities hasn’t been the case for maybe more than a decade now.
Of course you can sell an insane amount of volumes of beauty products but when your cheapest bag is 5K and a sweater is 3K and the shoes are at 1K…With a fair amount of volume, you easily trump beauty. Even more at a brand like Chanel that doesn’t necessarily pump up new fragrances releases every other season like Dior.

Look at Hermes. Their fragrances are available everywhere. Those are probably the most accessible products by the brand and yet it’s their 5th activity.

Regarding Blazy, I don’t think he is trying to bury the Karl look. However I think he is trying to avoid direct Karl’s quotation (because it’s setting himself up for failure) but also it has to « infuse that feeling of newness » at a house where everything has been done. How do you create a « new Chanel bag »?

They will still continue to produce some classic styles, maybe even refresh some old designs but for the statement of the shows, it’s normal that they push seasonal.
They have outpriced the classics. I think they should have went harder during the quiet luxury thing in pushing the 2.55 to justify it pricing but they didn’t…

 

[TurkicMongol]

Of course you can sell an insane amount of volumes of beauty products but when your cheapest bag is 5K and a sweater is 3K and the shoes are at 1K

Lola, I think thetl average customer has changed a lot throughout the years that they are not satisfied of buying beauty products and business managers know that so they are targeting people with entry-level products like bags, shoes or sweaters like you said. I know those kinds of people who are saving up for those products like investments because at the end of the day everybody knows beauty products is just cheap merchs and not like those signature products that can be shown off to create some basic looks. The business will not be so big without those people's contribution.

 

[style_expert]

File under: NEVER FORGET! Karl had some fun moments in the US with several cruise/metiers d'art shows....also the Dallas show in 2013 at the rodeo.



I'm curious to see what MB will bring but after watching that Gondry film I'm not exactly hopeful he has a great sense of humor...

 

[TurkicMongol]

I remember that show (probably the first traveling show?) and from then on brands began doing traveling shows!

 

[Caffeine]

But see I don’t find the contrast that shocking in the BV ads. Those looks are rather relaxed.

Karl has done campaigns in not fancy environments, I think about the one with Angela Lindvall for SS2001, the campaign for the SS2016 or even the campaign for the supermarket collection.

When the looks gives « fashion » more than luxury, the contrast can be interesting.

But when you go full on luxury, go for it!

I’m so curious to know where they will show.

They did the train station, the Chanel store and the MET.
I wonder if it will be a street thing like Virginie did in Manchester.

The supermarket setting was happy though. The BV settings above were all sad.