Twenty five years ago Matthieu Blazy was a “wild” teenager, so much so that the Parisian was sent by his parents to Pangbourne College, a British boarding school in Berkshire with a strong naval history. It seems surprising now, considering that the outgoing creative director at Bottega Veneta is reputed for his calm and amiable demeanour. Yet it also makes sense. Whatever discipline and strategy he learnt there may explain how the 40-year-old quietly manoeuvred past a raft of contenders to be announced, last week, as the incoming creative director of Chanel.
The top job at Chanel is arguably the top job in fashion, even if the luxury group, privately owned by the Wertheimer family, sits second in size after Bernard Arnault’s LVMH. Its empire — spanning ready-to-wear, couture, beauty, horlogerie and more — has had only a few rulers: Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who founded the house in 1910; Karl Lagerfeld, who held the post for 36 years until his death in 2019; Virginie Viard, who was ousted last summer after five years; and now Blazy.
His appointment put to an end months of fervent speculation and it couldn’t come soon enough. The luxury industry is suffering fatigue, with profits tepid this year and expected to shrink further in 2025.