Chanel
French luxury brand Chanel has appointed designer Matthieu Blazy as its new Artistic Director, effective April 2025.
Blazy will become the fourth Artistic Director in Chanel’s 114-year history, following the brand’s founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, Karl Lagerfeld, and Virginie Viard.
In his new role, Matthieu Blazy, who will be 40, will oversee all of Chanel’s collections. His first collection for the brand will debut in September 2025. The responsibilities of Chanel’s Artistic Director currently include overseeing six ready-to-wear and haute couture shows annually, red carpet projects, and an extensive range of commercial collections.
Renowned for his innovation and craftsmanship, Matthieu Blazy most recently served as Creative Director at Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta. He previously served as the deputy to Daniel Lee, Bottega Veneta’s former Creative Director, before becoming the brand’s Ready-to-Wear Design Director in 2020 and then taking on the Creative Director role in 2021.
Holding both French and Belgian citizenships, Blazy graduated from La Cambre, a prestigious art and design school in Brussels, Belgium. His career began with menswear design for Raf Simons’ eponymous brand. He later worked at Belgian fashion house Maison Margiela, overseeing the Artisanal haute couture line and women’s ready-to-wear. In 2014, he joined French luxury brand CELINE under LVMH, working as a senior designer alongside Phoebe Philo. From 2016 to 2019, he reunited with Raf Simons at Calvin Klein in the U.S.
Chanel President Bruno Pavlovsky praised Blazy’s “bold and innovative” approach to design. He believes Blazy can “dance with the DNA and cultural heritage of the House” while leading it into “exciting new directions.”
In a pre-announcement interview, Pavlovsky said, “We didn’t choose Matthieu Blazy just to ‘do Chanel’; he can push the boundaries and shape the future of Chanel. He will bring his modernization and working methods—Chanel is ready to be the vessel.”
Chanel’s Global Executive Chairman Alain Wertheimer and CEO Leena Nair called Blazy “one of the most talented designers of his generation.”
Bottega Veneta
Italian luxury brand Bottega Veneta, part of French luxury group Kering, has named Louise Trotter as its new Creative Director, effective late January 2025.
Louise Trotter’s most recent role was as Creative Director at Carven, a classic French fashion brand under Shanghai-based Icicle Fashion Group. She is known for drawing inspiration from real life and her meticulous attention to craftsmanship.
Trotter studied fashion design at Newcastle University in the UK and began her career at British contemporary brand Whistles. She later moved to the U.S., working for Calvin Klein, Gap, and Tommy Hilfiger, before returning to London to join Jigsaw. From 2009 to 2018, she served as the Creative Director of Joseph, where she led the brand’s diversification and international expansion. Subsequently, she joined French sports-luxury brand Lacoste as Creative Director.
Kering and Bottega Veneta stated in their press release that Trotter’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter in the brand’s creative journey. They also expressed gratitude to former Creative Director Matthieu Blazy for his transformative contributions over the past three years and wished him success in his future endeavors.
Bottega Veneta CEO Leo Rongone said, “I am delighted to welcome Louise Trotter as our new Creative Director. Her design aesthetic seamlessly blends refined design with exceptional craftsmanship. Her commitment to cultural advocacy aligns perfectly with our brand vision. Through her refined perspective, Bottega Veneta will continue to celebrate its cultural heritage while maintaining modern relevance. I also want to extend my deepest gratitude to Matthieu, an extraordinary partner who infused our brand with allure, emotional resonance, and intellectual connectivity.”
| Sources: Associated Press, FashionNetwork, official press releases
| Image Credit: Brand official websites
| Editor: LeZhi
