Paris Fashion Week spring-summer 2026 was full of standout moments. Beyond the extravagant runway shows at the foot of the Eiffel Tower and in the Louvre, the headline-grabbing displays by seasoned designers, and the crowds of fans on the lookout for celebrities, the season was defined by the many debut collections from new creative directors. Among these, the most eagerly awaited was also the last: Matthieu Blazy, whose first collection for Chanel was unveiled on Monday, October 6, at the Grand Palais.
This show attracted particular attention because Chanel, with €17.9 billion in revenue in 2024, is one of the world's leading luxury brands. And little had changed in it for a very long time. When he took over as creative director in 1983, Karl Lagerfeld (1933-2019) implemented a methodology that was innovative at the time: He searched the archives for the most salient features of the collections (tweed, black and white, camellias, wheat, pearls, double C, etc.) and repeated them season after season, varying the shapes, colors and decorations, but not the essence. Virginie Viard, who succeeded him in 2019, continued along the same path.
"Ready-to-wear is still performing very well. However, we could sense a slight weariness with certain looks [from the last collections]. Customers were extremely eager to see what Matthieu [Blazy] was going to come up with. Now is the time for boldness, for taking risks," explained Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion at Chanel.
Being tasked with giving a fresh creative impetus to the legendary fashion house on Rue Cambon in the heart of Paris was seen as the "job of the century" in the fashion world. And that responsibility fell to Blazy. The French-Belgian designer, who took up his post as creative director in April, is just 41 years old and had previously led only one brand, Bottega Veneta, where he stood out for his ability to play with materials, turning the somewhat abstract discipline of craftsmanship into a highly personal field of fashion expression.
For Blazy, the first challenge was to take command of the Grand Palais. This vast venue, where Chanel has held its shows since 2005, welcomed 2,300 guests on Monday evening. The designer found a striking way to fill the space, recreating a solar system made up of a dozen planets illuminated from within, some suspended beneath the steel-and-glass dome, others set on the floor. Their colorful reflections on the dark, glossy resin floor created the illusion of gazing at the Milky Way. "I wanted a universal set, but one that would inspire dreams. We live in a complicated world, and I think my role is to bring people together. Everyone looks at the same sky," explained Blazy.
Scattered golden wheat stalks
From the very first looks, it was clear that the designer had found common ground with Chanel. Men's jackets, cut at pocket-level with raw edges, replaced the usual petite tweed jackets. A white men's shirt with a wing collar and bib contrasted with a black cotton skirt with a train. A few golden wheat stalks scattered across a black dress swayed with each step. The beauty of Gabrielle Chanel's legacy shone not just through the use of iconic codes but also through elegance itself.
Blazy also infused the collection with hallmarks of his own style, particularly textile experimentation. The structure of tweed – the way the wool threads are woven together – was used to create supple, airy knit vests. On some suits, it looked as if he had zoomed in on the material; the wool threads appeared enlarged, utterly transforming their look. They may have originated from Rue Cambon, but they could also be the work of artisans from South America, Africa or Asia. "The Chanel woman is everywhere in the world; she is universal," said Blazy. The final look, a "Flemish flower bouquet" as he described it, encapsulated the generosity of his work. It is perhaps regrettable that the sheer size of the venue prevented us from seeing the clothes up close, as we can guess that they are full of discreet details and secret intentions intended for those who wear them.
What is the secret to such success? It is due to Gabrielle Chanel's extraordinary legacy, Blazy's talent, but also undoubtedly his smooth induction. "When I arrived, I started working on the runway show while also preparing a pre-collection and Coco Beach [a collection designed for the beach]. Technically, this is my third collection. Having had the chance to work with the studio on the previous two really helped me understand how the house operates," explained the designer.
With good support, Blazy has accomplished his mission to "create a spark at Chanel," as Pavlovsky put it. Time will tell whether regular customers, whose habits are set to be thoroughly shaken up, will embrace the change.