AL HAYAT - Matthieu Blazy to step out as Coco's heir in Chanel debut

The 41-year-old, who was appointed last December, will unveil his Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Paris Fashion Week in the clear highlight of the season, if not the year.

Tasked with moving Chanel on from the era of its legendary late supremo Karl Lagerfeld, Blazy is seen as needing to tread a delicate path between modernising Chanel while respecting its heritage.

"If there's one house where the traditions are more important than anywhere else, it's Chanel," Elvire von Bardeleben, a fashion journalist at France's Le Monde newspaper told AFP.

"What's expected of Matthieu Blazy is to bring back style, elegance, a twist to traditions that have been overexploited recently," she continued.

Fashion lovers have had to wait for the penultimate day of what has been a historic Paris Fashion Week to glimpse the latest creations from the former Bottega Veneta and Calvin Klein designer.

A flurry of new appointments has led to a sense of generational renewal at the top of the industry, with around 10 different brands unveiling collections from debut chief designers over the last week in Paris.

Northern Irish star Jonathan Anderson began his work impressively at Dior women, Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez started at Loewe, while Dutch designer Duran Lantink stepped into the limelight on Sunday for his star as chief creative at Jean Paul Gaultier.

Italy's Pierpaolo Piccioli also set a new tone at Balenciaga on Saturday having moved to the Paris-based Spanish heritage label to replace Georgian maverick Demna, who has been tasked with reviving Gucci.

The luxury industry is hoping the shake up will help boost flagging sales caused by a slowdown in China, US tariffs and a widespread sense of economic uncertainty.

Chanel, the world's second biggest luxury brand by sales, reported a 30 percent drop in operating profit in 2024 to $4.48 billion, compared to the year before, as revenue fell 4.3 percent over the same period.

- Totems -

Monday's show will take place at 1800 GMT under the domed glass ceiling of the spectacular Grand Palais exhibition space near the Champs-Elysees, a favourite spot for the brand.

Blazy has given almost nothing away, except for a few outfits revealed on the red carpets of recent film and TV events.

The invitation, featuring a Chanel house-shaped pendant, was very classic, while a black-and-white photo posted on Instagram about the collection featured a short-bobbed brunette reminiscent of the brand's founder Coco Chanel.

"At Chanel, there are totems you don't touch," Pierre Groppo, fashion editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair magazine in France, told AFP. "But you can reinvent them."

Blazy is only the fourth creative director in Chanel's history after Coco, Lagerfeld and his immediate predecessor, Virginie Viard.

Blazy won widespread praise for his work as chief creative at Bottega Veneta for three years, helping modernise the look of the classic Italian leather-goods house, making it more playful and daring.

He also oversaw the launch of its first fragrances and high-end jewellery, and updated the brand's classic "intrecciato" woven patterns with hit bags such as Kalimero, Andiamo and Sardine.

One question he is likely to face at some point is whether he would support a Chanel menswear range for the first time.

For now, all eyes will be on the outfits on Monday and the privileged few -- a constellation of VIPs is a certainty -- who secured the hottest seats in the French capital.

D.al-Shehri--al-Hayat