From Bottega Veneta to Chanel, fashion reshuffles top talents amid economic storm

Thursday, December 12, was like any other day in the winter of 2024. The weather was gray. France was still waiting for a prime minister to be appointed. Meanwhile, the fashion world was awaiting the appointment of Chanel’s new artistic director… a position that had been vacant for almost six months.

At around 3 pm, this monotony was broken by a post by New York Times journalist Vanessa Friedman on X: “The fashion dominos have begun to fall. Carven announces designer Louise Trotter is leaving; her last day will be Jan 24. Two more big brand announcements are probably coming today… wait for it…”

Mere moments after its publication, her post already had been viewed 81,000 times. The day before, John Galliano had written a long letter to bid farewell to Maison Margiela after 10 years of loyal service. By now, it was clear to everyone that one of these “two big brands” could only be Chanel, a key name in fashion history.

An unprecedented situation

Matthieu Blazy, the 40-year-old Franco-Belgian designer, had been in the running for the luxury industry’s most coveted position for a month. Since November 16, to be exact, when the trade fashion media Miss Tweed wrote: “Matthieu Blazy is a frontrunner to join Chanel,” followed a few minutes later by the American website WWD, which also claimed that Blazy, until now head of creation at Bottega Veneta and architect of the current success of the brand from the Kering Group, could land the Holy Grail. From a theory lost in a sea of rumors, it suddenly became a credible possibility spreading through editorial offices, social media, the headquarters of rival luxury groups and even into the atrium of Chanel on Paris’s Rue Cambon, where, in mid-November, employees gathered for the highly popular staff sales.

You have 93.68% of this article left to read. The rest is for subscribers only.