THEhe news that the entire fashion industry has been waiting with bated breath is now official. Chanel chose Matthieu Blazy as new creative director. After months of speculation, rumors and indiscretions, confirmation.
News that puts to rest the countless theories and inferences that animated the summer and autumn of the industry, which arose following the resignation of Virginie Viard from the leadership of the double C fashion house last June. After an incessant list of nameswhich involved among others John Galliano (who has just left Maison Margiela), Marc Jacobs and Hedi Slimane, the historic French house opens up to a new direction. And she’s not the only one.
Bottega Veneta: via Matthieu Blazy, inside Louise Trotter
A day, that of 12 December 2024, which will also be remembered by fashion the sudden announcement of the arrival of Louise Trotter from Matthieu Blazy Bottega Veneta. The designer, who in the early afternoon declared her departure from the Parisian brand Carven, will present her latest collection at the next Paris Fashion Week dedicated to menswear, in January 2025.
Just enough time to digest the news, and Bottega Veneta officially announces the appointment of Louise Trotter as the new creative director of the Maison. The English designer «will begin her career at Bottega Veneta from the end of January 2025»we read in the press release issued today by Kering.
Chanel Matthieu Blazy, the beginning of a new era
A successful collaboration, that of Blazy from Bottega Veneta. The brand’s top management also said so: «we express our gratitude to Matthieu Blazy for the contribution he has made during the three years spent as creative director, and we wish him every success for the future” reads the note.
Chanelowned by the Wertheimer family, for its part, was looking for a designer willing to lead the brand for decades to come. As had happened with Viard and before that with Lagerfeld, in fact, the designers of Chanel they usually tie themselves to the fashion house for long and prolific periods of time.
Among the various candidates taken into consideration, therefore, Blazy came out on topFrench-Belgian creative born in 1984. After studying at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre in Brussels, the new creative director of Chanel began his career dealing with Raf Simons’ men’s collection, then moving on to Maison Martin Margiela . After an experience at Céline and returning alongside Simons in his years at Calvin Klein, in 2020 the nomination “of life” arrived for him, the one at the helm of Bottega Veneta.
Matthieu Blazy greets the public at the end of a Bottega Veneta fashion show (Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images).
Matthieu Blazy, destination Chanel
He revolutionized the imagery of Bottega Venetamaking the brand one of the spearheads of the Kering group (and of Milan Fashion Week). After the uncontrollable rise and fall of Daniel Lee’s reign, in fact, the designer was able to give the maison a new identity, more intellectual, refined and recognisable. A change of pace that, we expect, we will also see from Chanel.
A look from the Chanel Métiers d’Art 2024/25 collection, presented in China at the beginning of December (Photo: Spotlight Launchmetrics).
Even if for now everything he declares is his romantic and melancholic farewell to the brandwith a bouquet of crochet flowers, which has already received a lot of likes on Instagram, accompanied by the words: «to the wonderful team of Bottega Veneta, thank you for the wonderful adventure».
A 2024 of great changes for fashion
The last twelve months have been marked by sudden announcements and unexpected departures. Lightning from the blue destined to revolutionize the face of the most influential fashion houses in the sector. At the highly anticipated debut of Alessandro Michele driving Valentinefor example, was followed by the painful farewell of Hedi Slimane at the top of Celine. The same fate befell Kim Joneswho after saying goodbye Fendi will focus exclusively on Dior’s men’s collections. While Sarah Burton warms up the engines from Givenchy, David Koma And Haider Ackermann they prepare to have their say, respectively, from Blumarine And Tom Ford. Finally, the news of Mr.’s resignation came a few days ago John Galliano from Maison Margielaafter ten years.
At the same time, moreover, we are wondering about the next destination of much-loved designers with unquestionable success behind them, from Slimane himself to Pierpaolo Picciolipassing through Virginie Viard. If Dries Van Noten he found in Julian Klausner a worthy heir to the celebrated Belgian fashion designer, they may soon be left without a guide too Loewe And Jil Sander. The contracts of Jonathan Anderson And Luke and Lucie Meier they are, in fact, expiring at the end of this year. All that remains is to wait for other resounding announcements. In view of an even more exciting 2025.
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