Matthieu Blazy is Chanel's new Creative Director

Another major step in the 2024 fashion Monopoly: Matthieu Blazy has left his role as creative director of Bottega Veneta to become the new creative director of Chanel. After succeeding Daniel Lee in 2021, Blazy managed to continue the renaissance of the Italian brand, elevating it to an unprecedented cult status. He didn’t limit himself to focusing solely on fashion but expanded Bottega Veneta’s identity into design, with several activations during Fuorisalone and the latest collaboration with Flos, not to mention the immense success of the fanzine curated by Blazy himself. For Bottega’s creative direction, the brand has announced Louise Trotter, who had already revealed her departure from Carven earlier today.

This news puts an end to months of speculation about Chanel’s creative direction, which had seen names ranging from Jeremy Scott to Simon Porte Jacquemus involved in a full-blown "Chanel sweepstakes" over the past months, highlighting one of the biggest challenges in the fashion world of 2024. Blazy wasn’t at the center of the conversation until last November when WWD reported that the Belgian designer was the front-runner for the brand at 31 Rue Cambon. After Virginie Viard, Blazy could bring a much-needed breath of youth to Chanel, which has stagnated creatively since the passing of Karl Lagerfeld. Now, all eyes are on the Belgian designer’s debut during the Paris Fashion Week in February. With the recent announcement of John Galliano stepping down, a fiery December is on the horizon.