Immediately (and we mean immediately), upon Virginie Viard‘s abrupt exit as Chanel creative director in June, speculation was rife regarding who would succeed the long-serving Karl Lagerfeld protégé. Five months have since past, and the fabled French fashion house is yet to make an announcement. As a result, all this time of silence from the powers that be at Chanel HQ have allowed the rumor mill to be sent into overdrive. Since June, names like Hedi Slimane, Simon Porte Jacquemus, and Pierpaolo Piccioli have been thrown out as contenders for what is considered the most coveted design gig in fashion. The latest to be thrown into the potential new Chanel creative director mix is Matthieu Blazy. The celebrated French-Belgian designer, who has served as Bottega Veneta creative director since November 2021, is now a major front runner to become the creative force behind one of the most storied fashion houses on the planet. According to WWD, Chanel intends to make an announcement of a creative director in December.
Revisit the Chanel Spring 2025 Collection:
Read below the reactions of theFashionSpot’s forum members:
“Well if Matthieu Blazy will be able to produce 1649 collections a year for next 30 years then I wish him best of luck. But this choice feels somehow bizarre. I can imagine Simon PJ there much more than Blazy.” [Olaffo]
“Good on paper but terrible in reality.” [GivenchyAddict]
“As a fan of his, I’d be happy for him but I don’t think it will work. This has got Dior-Raf written all over it.” [Living Proof]
“Too intellectual and esoteric for Chanel.” [rowjellies]
“I find this quite a safe choice. He seems easy to manage. I find his BV very nice, but hardly a fashion proposition. He’s going to do really beautifully crafted clothes at Chanel, I hope he hones in his volumes a bit and works on his art direction skills.” [Norden]
“Wow, honestly I’d like to see his take on Chanel.” [couturefan]
“A decoy to hide Jacquemus as successor.” [tourbillions]
Share your own thoughts as Matthieu Blazy potentially becoming Chanel creative director, here.