MATTHIEU BLAZY RUMORED TO TAKE OVER CHANEL

Chanel may soon announce its new creative director, ending months of speculation since Virginie Viard’s departure in June. According to a recent report by WWD, the legendary French fashion house plans to reveal Viard’s successor by mid-December. Among the leading contenders, signs are pointing toward Matthieu Blazy, the current creative director of Bottega Veneta.

Blazy, a Paris-born designer, has transformed Bottega Veneta into one of Milan’s most coveted labels. Under his leadership, the brand generated €836 million in revenue in the first half of this year, a 3% increase compared to the same period last year. With reports suggesting that Bottega Veneta has already begun searching for Blazy’s replacement, speculation about his move to Chanel is gaining traction. Neither Chanel, Blazy, nor Bottega Veneta’s parent company, Kering, has commented on the rumors.

The search for Viard’s replacement has been a hot topic since her exit. Early rumors suggested that John Galliano might take the reins, but his controversial past may have hindered those discussions, given Chanel’s ownership by a prominent Jewish family. Other high-profile names like Hedi Slimane, Sarah Burton, Jeremy Scott, and Marc Jacobs were also speculated to be in the running. Reports indicate that Chanel has interviewed designers such as Pieter Mulier, Pierpaolo Piccioli, and Jacobs, but Blazy appears to have emerged as a strong contender.

Blazy’s career is marked by a stellar resume. A graduate of Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre in Brussels, he began his career as a menswear designer for Raf Simons in 2007. He later worked at Maison Margiela, earning the moniker “the most famous designer you’ve never heard of,” before Galliano took over. He then joined Phoebe Philo at Céline and reunited with Simons at Calvin Klein before taking the helm at Bottega Veneta in 2021.

While there is no confirmation yet, the possibility of Matthieu Blazy stepping into Chanel’s top creative role adds excitement to the ongoing speculation. 

Stay tuned for updates as the story develops!