All that there is to know about Matthieu Blazy, Chanel’s new creative director

You might have just woken up to the news that Matthieu Blazy is officially Chanel’s new artistic director. Ironically, given his new role at one of fashion’s most high-profile positions, Blazy comes from a relatively discreet background, once referred to by The New York Times Magazine as “the most famous designer you’ve never heard of”. So, what else do we know about the man poised to shape Chanel’s entire fashion universe, from haute couture to accessories? Ahead, we share the Matthieu Blazy lore.

He comes from a cultured Parisian upbringing

The Paris-born Blazy grew up surrounded by culture and art; his father is an expert in pre-Columbian art, and his mother is a historian and researcher. Although he considered archaeology, his mother encouraged him to pursue an education in fashion instead. He eventually chose to study at La Cambre, a prestigious fashion school in Brussels, on her advice.

He has a Singapore connection

Blazy has an older brother who is an airplane pilot and a twin sister, Julie, who lives and works in Singapore, as reported in a New York Times article.

He studied at one of fashion’s greatest school

Instead of attending traditional fashion schools, Blazy chose a specialised five-year liberal arts programme at La Cambre in Brussels. The school is known for producing notable designers like Julien Dossena of Paco Rabanne, Anthony Vaccarello of Saint Laurent, and Marine Serre. In an article with Fantastic Man, Blazy emphasised that this experience provided the ideal deep preparation for the multifaceted role of a modern creative director.

He interned for Ghesquiere and Galliano

As a university student, Blazy interned at Balenciaga as a womenswear intern for three months in 2005 under its then creative director Nicolas Ghesquiere. The following year, he spent four months working at John Galliano’s namesake label.

His first job out of school was with Raf Simons

After completing his education at La Cambre, Blazy began his career under Raf Simons for his eponymous brand, serving as his right-hand man from 2007 to 2011. In an interview with System, Blazy noted that this role was instrumental in teaching him how to blend creativity with the production process.

He met Pieter Mulier while working with Raf

Current Alaia creative director Pieter Mulier and Blazy dated for 16 years, meeting when they were both assistants for Raf Simons.

Suzy Menkes outed him at Maison Margiela

In 2012, at the age of 27, Matthieu Blazy secured his first major role as creative director of Maison Margiela’s Artisanal collection. This position came after the departure of the brand’s namesake designer in the late 2000s. Although the brand is notoriously tight-lipped about its appointments, the news of Blazy’s role became public when Suzy Menkes shared an Instagram photo of Blazy and Raf Simons backstage, publicly outing him.

He was behind the viral crystal-encrusted Margiela masks

The crystal masks for Maison Margiela, which first gained attention on the Fall/Winter 2013 couture runway, were avant-garde pieces famously seen by Kanye West and later adapted for his Yeezus tour. These masks, covered in Swarovski crystals, were designed to challenge fashion norms and create a surreal effect that blurred the lines between fashion and art.

Phoebe Philo was said to personally poach Him

It is reported that Phoebe Philo personally headhunted Blazy for a role in her design team . His contributions were pivotal in developing Celine’s more commercial pre-collections. It was at Celine that he met Daniel Lee, who was then the brand’s design director.

He followed Raf to New York for Calvin Klein

After Celine, Blazy rejoined Raf Simons at Calvin Klein, where he was involved in the creative direction of the 205W39NYC collection. This collaboration emphasised an American-inspired high fashion approach, integrating cultural references and historical influences. Blazy served as VP of design for both womenswear and menswear until Simons’ departure in 2019.

He succeeded Daniel Lee at Bottega Veneta

The most high-profile role Blazy held up till now was when Kering named him as the successor to Bottega Veneta’s creative director, Daniel Lee, in June 2020. Prior to that, Blazy served as Lee’s deputy for a year and a half.

He’s a Kate Moss superfan

Blazy has revealed that British supermodel Kate Moss was his very first Google search, and her image was the first he ever printed from the family printer. His collection of Kate Moss images has become a personal archive, evoking a sense of nostalgia and wonder. For Blazy, collecting these photos was not just a hobby during his teenage years but developed into a daily ritual at home. When he says he was doing his ‘Kate Moss,’ it signifies that he was deeply engaged in collecting images of her. This devotion culminated in a Bottega fan zine featuring the model in 2023

He loves his John John

John John, Blazy’s shared dog with his ex-partner Pieter Mulier, is his pride and joy, often featured on his Instagram feed. In 2023, a wool jacquard sweater in Bottega Veneta’s pre-fall collection was inspired by it. The sweater showcases a graphic of a dog wearing a bandana and playing chess, closely resembling the pooch himself.

This article was originally published in Female.