The last rumour was not really a rumour. Matthieu Blazy is going to the house of the interlocking Cs

Matthieu Blazy shot by David Sims. Photo: matthieublazy/Instagram

It is with some sadness that we acknowledge Matthieu Blazy’s confirmed move to Chanel. We want to see Mr Blazy given more time at Bottega Veneta to do even better, greater things. He had a mere three years to show his flair and skills. That was hardly foundational time. But we understand that things move very fast in fashion, and when Chanel comes acalling, it is hard to say no—you just don’t. It’s the proverbial once in a lifetime opportunity. We were hoping it’d be Hedi Slimane to give Chanel a hard time. And he seemed a better fit. In his last two collections for Celine, there were pieces that could indeed pass of as Chanel. The house could do with his Frenchness and his flair for making hip girls crave whatever he puts out. But Mr Blazy was born in Paris, so he, too, may be able to keep Chanel in her cosy position.

But, Chanel’s president of fashion Bruno Pavlovsky told WWD: “We didn’t choose Matthieu to just ‘do Chanel,’ we chose him so he could push the boundaries of what Chanel is, for the future.” Pushing boundaries seems like a belated move after so many agonising seasons of the former creative head Virginie Viard. Karl Lagerfeld’s appointment in 1983 was pushing boundaries and he did transcend expectations, at least in the early years. It isn’t clear why Chanel now thinks they need to break barriers after contending with Ms Viard for half a decade leading the design team. CEO Leena Nair even sang her praises to WWD: “Virginie is an inspiring woman very successfully creating for women everywhere, and the feedback of clients—the comfort, the silhouette, the fit—it’s really positive, it’s landing really well.” Who knew they were into boundary-pushing exercises?

We were at a Chanel store recently. What we saw did not commensurate with the silhouette and the fit (can’t say about the comfort) that allegedly landed very well with their customers. Interestingly, many customers were looking at and then snapping up the spectacularly unattractive Chanel 22 drawstring tote, with the unmissable logo plonked on the front, and available in other colours, including an atrocious bright metallic green. Online chatter suggested that since Matthieu Blazy is taking over Virginie Viard, “it’s a very low bar to match”. But to us, who wants to outdo Ms Viard? And is it flattering to be better than her? Somehow, we imagine that Mr Blazy’s collections would be like what Raf Simons’s were when he was at Dior. Mr Pavlovsky said of the new hire: “He will bring his modernity, his way of working—Chanel is ready to let itself be transported.” We are too.

Matthieu Blazy has signed to join Chanel in April next year. His debut collection is scheduled for the following September/October. Stay tuned!