The rumors that have been circulating in the industry for which month are confirmed. From the next year Matthieu Blazy will be the new artistic director of fashion at Chanel. The French-Belgian designer, who leaves the helm of Bottega Veneta after three years, will lead Chanel fashion across haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections. He will report to Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, and will reportedly begin the role 2025.

Blazy replaces Virginie Viard, who had taken the creative helm of the maison after the death of Karl Lagerfeld in February 2018, and she announced her departure from the company in June.

Born in Paris in 1984, Matthieu Blazy is a graduate of La Cambre in Brussels. He started his fashion career as men’s designer for Raf Simons, before joining Maison Martin Margiela to design the Artisanal line and the women’s RTW show. In 2014, he became senior designer at Céline, before working again with Raf Simons at Calvin Klein from 2016 to 2019. He was appointed RTW design director at Bottega Veneta in 2020.

“"I am delighted to welcome Matthieu Blazy," said said Chanel’s president of fashion Bruno Pavlovsky. "I am convinced that he will be able to play with the codes and heritage of the House, through an ongoing dialogue with the studio, our ateliers, and our Maisons d’art. His audacious personality, his innovative and powerful approach to creation, as well as his dedication to craftsmanship and beautiful materials, will take Chanel in exciting new directions.”

“Matthieu Blazy is one of the most gifted designers of his generation,” said Alain Wertheimer, global executive chairman, and Leena Nair, global ceo of Chanel, in a statement. “His vision and talent will reinforce the energy of the brand and our position as a leader in luxury. Under Bruno Pavlovsky's leadership, we are confident that Matthieu Blazy will continue to shape what’s next and write a new page in Chanel’s creation.”

“I am thrilled and honored to join the wonderful House of Chanel. I look forward to meeting all the teams and writing this new chapter together.”