New Chanel designer Matthieu Blazy unveiled a first sumptuous collection on Monday in front of a crowd of admirers and stars sitting beneath giant glowing planets during Paris Fashion Week.
Ahead of the most-anticipated show of the Spring-Summer 2026 season, some had wondered how much the 41-year-old would dare change the classic designs of the French house.
Despite the galaxy-themed decoration in the spectacular Grand Palais exhibition space, Blazy eschewed a big bang design revolution, opting instead for modern yet bold tweaks to Chanel’s tweeds, blouses and suits.
Gently mixing in masculine looks in the boxy jackets and shirts, alongside statement jewels and stunning long evening wear in white silk or vibrant red, Blazy harked back to founder Coco Chanel who took inspiration from her boyfriends’ wardrobes.
“What we asked him to do is to take us elsewhere, to move the brand on,” Chanel’s fashion business head, Bruno Pavlovsky, told reporters.
Lauding Blazy’s “discreet” personality and his willingness to listen to colleagues, Pavlovsky said the former Bottega Veneta and Calvin Klein designer had plunged into founder Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel’s story since joining.
“What’s great is that he continued playing with the design principles, those principles that are so distinctive and important for the brand. But at the same time, he allowed himself freedom, the freedom we need,” Pavlovsky explained.
The front-row was a constellation of A-listers from Penélope Cruz, Kendall Jenner to Pedro Pascal, as well as freshly appointed Chanel brand ambassadors under Blazy, US-Australian star Nicole Kidman and The Bear actress Ayo Edebiri.
Babygirl star Kidman, known for her glamourous red carpet outfits, wore an understated white button-up shirt and wide-leg jeans to the show.
Initital reaction was positive, with the head of fashion-buying at London luxury store Harrods, Simon Longland, saying Blazy had “delivered a debut that was nothing short of a masterclass”.
Privately owned Chanel is the world’s second biggest luxury fashion brand by sales.
