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A glorious debut Chanel show by Matthieu Blazy
On Monday 6th of October 2025, Franco-Belgian fashion designer Matthieu Blazy made a glorious impression with his first Chanel show. A collection that opens a new chapter for the house located on Rue Cambon.
The Chanel universe at the Grand Palais
On October 6th, 2025, anticipation was high beneath the nave of the Grand Palais. As dusk, the Parisian monument hosted one of the most eagerly-awaited events of this Spring/Summer 2026 Fashion Week… Matthieu Blazy’s debut Chanel show. An important event since it happened to be the grand finale of a series of inaugural collections from newly appointed creative directors at major fashion houses.
Under the Parisian moonlight, the Chanel universe unfolded like a constellation of colorful planets, their reflections dancing across the glossy black floor. A spectacular scenography that echoed Karl Lagerfeld’s era and marked the rebirth of a house symbolizing French luxury. “This is a universe, the Universe of Chanel. Within it, outside the usual constraints of space and time, a conversation unfolds in three parts.”
The Matthieu Blazy era begins
“Chanel is about love. The birth of Modernity in fashion comes from a love story. This is what I find most beautiful. It has no time or space; this is an idea of freedom. The freedom worn and won by Gabrielle Chanel.” As these opening lines to the notes for his first collection explain, it’s not the fashion designer who inspires Matthieu Blazy, but the woman behind.
We often forget it but Gabrielle Chanel did far more than building a fashion empire. She freed women’s bodies without ever compromising elegance. That would be the starting point of this show.
Appointed creative director of the house in December 2024, Matthieu Blazy had only nine months to prepare this collection. Certainly, that’s twice as much time as some of his peers have been given, but when it comes to a house like Chanel, the timing is still feels tight.
Yet, the 77 looks of the Spring/Summer 2026 collection revolutionize the image of the house founded in 1910. “Above all, there is an idea of freedom, of a new universal dress and a borderless blending of styles; the inheritance of not just one Chanel woman, but rather, of Chanel women,” the press release reads.
A breath of modernity at Chanel
No doubt about it, Chanel is one of most iconic and codified fashion houses. A legacy shaped by Gabrielle Chanel between 1910 and 1971, and magnified by the visionary artistic director Karl Lagerfeld from 1983 to 2019. Tweed suits, quilted handbags, leather-threaded chains, two-tone pumps, little black dresses, pearl necklaces, the interlocking double-C logo… These are timeless codes of a type of luxury synonymous with absolute elegance and renewed modernity.
Even though the house on Rue Cambon has lost none of its splendor, the luxury industry has actually been in need of reinvention. Especially since it is suffering a downturn for several months now. “I think fashion is in a strange position,” Matthieu Blazy told Business of Fashion. “It saw explosive growth after the pandemic, then it hit a glass ceiling. I think fashion needs to rethink its own model, and not just in terms of design. We’ve seen houses explode, others collapse. We need to have a deep reflection on what fashion stands for. I believe we’ve reached a point where fashion must reinvent its own narrative. Luxury isn’t enough anymore. It’s expensive and rare, so it’s good? That’s not enough anymore.”
Chanel codes, but make them Blazy-style
Met with a standing ovation, this debut collection emerges as the very remedy the industry had been waiting for. Trained under Raf Simons (2007–2011), at Maison Margiela (2011–2014), Céline (2014–2016), Calvin Klein (2016–2019), and Bottega Veneta starting in 2020, where he became artistic director in 2021, the Franco-Belgian designer proves to be more an architect of movement than a mere designer. He crafts his garments with volumes, gestures, ways of wearing them, dressing the body without ever restricting it. The sensual, airy, and comfortable wardrobe he envisions is resolutely made for today’s women.
Naturally, while the Chanel codes are still very much present, Matthieu Blazy imbues them with his own vision of the sublime, driven by exceptional craftsmanship. Let’s not forget that with its Métiers d’Art Ateliers, the house of Chanel has safeguarded some France’s most precious artisanal skills.
More than cuts, it is a whole new Chanel attitude that Matthieu Blazy offers. Tailored suits are paired with asymmetrical skirts that daringly reveal the leg. Silk dresses are tied and draped to hug the body in fluid motion. Gypsy-like silhouettes come alive with sculptural ruffles. There are also soft knits, more relaxed than ever, and lightened or frayed tweeds that follow every move with ease. Camellias and other Chanel floral emblems are reimagined as abstract motifs and ornaments. Jewellery takes on a baroque opulence. The iconic two-tone pumps now combine height and comfort. As for the 2.55, the house’s legendary handbag, it feels as though it has travelled through time. An eternal heirloom passed down from one generation to the next.
With this first show, Matthieu Blazy has not only breathed new life into Chanel, but he has reminded us that true freedom remains the most precious luxury of all.
