New Chanel artistic director named, John Galliano out at Martin Margiela

French luxury brand Chanel has named former Bottega Veneta creative boss Matthieu Blazy as its new artistic director, one of the biggest jobs in fashion, where he will be tasked with finally turning the page on the Karl Lagerfeld era.

The Franco-Belgian Blazy had worked for Maison Margiela, Celine and Calvin Klein before joining Bottega Veneta in 2020 and quickly taking charge of its haute couture.

“Matthieu embodies a new generation with sincere humility and, in his approach to the brand and to clothes designing in general, with a huge respect and passion for the product,” Le Figaro newspaper quoted Chanel fashion president Bruno Pavlovsky as saying.

Chanel has been seeking a new creative chief since Virginie Viard, Lagerfeld’s long-time muse, announced her departure in June after five years in the job.