The shift in the fashion atmosphere that has been simmering for a long time is officially underway. Matteo Blasi, who until this morning was the creative director of Bottega Veneta, is the new creative director of Chanel. Blazy will reportedly oversee ready-to-wear, couture and accessories at the leading French fashion house, and will make his debut in October during Paris Fashion Week.
In a year in which the fashion industry has seen profound creative upheaval, with more than a dozen designers leaving high-profile luxury brands, the Chanel job — vacated by Virginie Viard in June — was the biggest prize of all. Chanel is the second largest fashion house in the world, and among the most historically influential fashion houses. Blasi beat out the competition (which reportedly included Hedi Slimane, Marc Jacobs, Simone Porte Jacquemus, and others) after three years at Bottega Veneta where he transformed the Kering-owned Italian luxury leather goods brand into a beacon of creativity and excellence. craft.
Following his departure, Bottega Veneta wasted no time in naming a successor in Louise Trotter, whose exit from French heritage house Carven was confirmed this morning.
The changes at Chanel and Bottega Veneta are the latest in a dizzying series of designer drops, deals and call-outs in recent months. Just yesterday, famous fashion designer John Galliano announced his exit from Maison Margiela. The 2025 fashion calendar is already brimming with new energy: Tom Ford’s Haider Ackermann, Givenchy’s Sarah Burton, Celine’s Michael Ryder, Dries Van Noten’s Julian Klausner, and now Bottega Veneta’s Blasi, Chanel, and Trotter, whose first fashion show is also scheduled to take place in October in Paris.
The pace of change comes during a period of economic uncertainty and a widespread sense of creative stagnation in fashion, but it is no less unprecedented. In 2018, men’s fashion saw a major reorganization with the emergence of Virgil Abloh at Louis Vuitton, Kim Jones at Dior, and Hedi Slimane at Celine, which shook up the rest of the menswear establishment and created a wave of hype.
In Blazy, Chanel gets a meticulous artistic designer who is also very experienced when it comes to inserting his works into broader cultural moments. The 40-year-old Franco-Belgian started out as a student of Raf Simons, who hired him straight out of fashion school in Brussels. Blazy joined Bottega Veneta in 2020, taking over as creative director in November 2021 following Daniel Lee’s shock resignation from the position. The replacement quickly proved he had what it took in prime time. His smart, clever jeans and trompe l’oeil plaid button-downs became the signature garments of the moment, making Bottega synonymous with understated opulence. But he can also dazzle others with stunning leather coats and expensive feather dresses.
Although best known as a designer, Blasi had a keen sense of popular cultural timing. He recruited Jacob Elordi and A$AP Rocky to lead the ranks of VIP ambassadors. Their campaigns and leather-clad appearances had a way of setting the internet on fire, despite the fact that the brand remained Instagram-less. Blazy has also brought Bottega into close conversation with the art world, launching a regular collectible fan group and collaborating with artists such as Gaetano Pesce on custom furniture and runway collections.
Speaking of Elordi and Rocky, will he follow Blazy’s dynamo style to his new digs? It depends. Chanel has a growing number of male customers and has released limited menswear collections in the past, but it does not have a full menswear arm. Rumors have circulated for years that the house was planning to enter the men’s space. Blazy’s history with Simons and his stylish menswear at Bottega suggest he may be the right designer for the job.
