Chanel marks Blazy's first year with joy, birds and bright colour in Paris
Matthieu Blazy marked one year in charge of Chanel, the French luxury house, with a show in Paris built around joy. The designer, who is artistic director, the person who leads design, said his Chanel was about a friendly face. He contrasted it with the work of founder Coco Chanel and his predecessor Karl Lagerfeld. The Guardian
Joy was the brief. The business behind it looks strong.
Chanel holds the top place in the Lyst index, the shopping platform's quarterly ranking of the world's most wanted brands. Figures reported by Bloomberg, the financial news agency, put growth at 16% for the first half of 2026. Blazy is also the only fashion designer in the list of the world's 50 most powerful people published by Vanity Fair, the US magazine. The Guardian
The show took place under the domed steel and glass roof of the Grand Palais, the large exhibition hall in Paris. Ninety-five white birds hung overhead. Blazy said the idea came on holiday in southern Italy, while watching migrating birds above the Crati River.
Actor Nicole Kidman read for the soundtrack. At Blazy's request, she read a passage about time and freedom from To the Lighthouse, the novel by Virginia Woolf. The same model opened and closed the show. On both walks she carried the 2.55 handbag that belonged to Gabrielle Chanel, known as Coco.
Colour did much of the talking. One look paired a red and white embroidered jacket with a jade and turquoise skirt. The house's two-tone pumps, usually worn in camel and black, came in zebra stripes and yellow polka dots. One soft-shouldered suit was worn with nothing beneath. Blazy likened it to perfume.
Blazy joined Chanel in 2025, the house said. His role covers Haute Couture, clothes made by hand for individual clients, as well as ready-to-wear, clothes made in standard sizes, and accessories. Chanel His Fall-Winter 2026 collection put the suit at the centre. Chanel
What makes this stand out is the pairing of mood and machine. The birds, the reading and the bright colour sat beside familiar products that drive sales: the suit, the bag and the shoe. For a general viewer, that is the point. The runway image and the shop floor are the same business.
