Matthieu Blazy
{{short description|French-Belgian fashion designer (born 1984)}}
{{Infobox fashion designer
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|6|27|df=y}}
| alma_mater = {{#statements:P69}}
| occupation = Fashion designer
| years_active = 2007–present
| employer = Chanel
}}
Matthieu Blazy (born 1984) is a French-Belgian designer. He began his fashion career as a menswear designer for Raf Simons, later moving to Maison Martin Margiela, where he worked on the label’s avant-garde artisanal line and women’s ready-to-wear collections.{{Cite web |date=2024-12-12 |title=Matthieu Blazy {{!}} BoF 500 {{!}} The People Shaping the Global Fashion Industry |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/people/matthieu-blazy/ |access-date=2025-05-01 |website=The Business of Fashion |language=en}}
He is the creative director of Chanel. From 2021 to 2024, he was the creative director of Bottega Veneta.{{Cite news |last=Testa |first=Jessica |date=15 November 2021 |title=Bottega Veneta Has a New Designer |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/15/style/bottega-veneta-has-a-new-designer.html |access-date=24 February 2024 |work=The New York Times}}{{Cite web |last=Guilbault |first=Laure |date=2024-12-12 |title=Bottega Veneta taps Louise Trotter as creative director |url=https://www.voguebusiness.com/story/fashion/bottega-veneta-taps-louise-trotter-as-creative-director |access-date=2024-12-12 |website=Vogue Business |language=en-US}}
Early Life
Blazy was born in Paris. His father was an art expert and his mother a historian and researcher.{{Cite news |last=Todd |first=Laura May |date=2023-09-18 |title=A Designer Inspired by Dutch Still Lifes and Gay Pulp Fiction |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/18/t-magazine/matthieu-blazy-bottega-veneta-inspirations.html |access-date=2024-02-24 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} He has an older brother who is an airplane pilot and a twin sister who works in Singapore.Vanessa Friedman (20 September 2023), [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/style/matthieu-blazy-bottega-veneta.html The Magician of Milan] New York Times.
During high school, Blazy attended Pangbourne College for a year.Vanessa Friedman (20 September 2023), [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/style/matthieu-blazy-bottega-veneta.html The Magician of Milan] New York Times. He graduated from La Cambre fashion school in Brussels; his graduate collection was about Claudie Haigneré.Vanessa Friedman (20 September 2023), [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/style/matthieu-blazy-bottega-veneta.html The Magician of Milan] New York Times. He did his internships at Balenciaga and John Galliano.{{Cite web |last=Muret |first=Dominique |date=2014-11-24 |title=Matthieu Blazy heading to Céline? |url=https://ww.fashionnetwork.com/news/matthieu-blazy-heading-to-celine-,445212.html |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=FashionNetwork.com |language=en-WW}}
Career
=Early career=
Raf Simons was a member of the jury of Blazy's graduate collection and hired him on the spot. Blazy brought bolder geometrical patterns to Simons' collections.{{Cite web |last=Heller |first=Nathan |date=2022-09-19 |title=Bottega Veneta's creative director Matthieu Blazy on the brand's heritage and the way forward |url=https://www.vogue.in/fashion/content/bottega-venetas-creative-director-matthieu-blazy-on-the-brands-heritage-and-the-way-forward |access-date=2024-03-08 |website=Vogue India |language=en-IN}}
In 2011, Blazy became a designer at Maison Margiela, at a time when the design team was anonymous, and where he experimented with advanced collage techniques.{{Cite web |date=2022-02-25 |title=Bottega Veneta: Everything Old Is New Again |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/luxury/bottega-veneta-everything-old-is-new-again/ |access-date=2024-02-24 |website=The Business of Fashion |language=en}} In July 2014, Vogue
In November 2014, Blazy joined Phoebe Philo's team as senior designer of Celine working on pre-collections.{{Cite web |last=Hyland |first=Véronique |date=2014-11-20 |title=Report: Matthieu Blazy Has Joined Céline |url=https://www.thecut.com/2014/11/report-matthieu-blazy-has-joined-cline.html |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=The Cut |language=en}} In August 2016, he was appointed design director of women's ready-to-wear of Calvin Klein under Raf Simons.{{Cite news |last=Schneier |first=Matthew |date=2017-02-09 |title=Can Raf Simons Reinvent Calvin Klein? |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/fashion/raf-simons-calvin-klein-new-york-fashion-week.html |access-date=2024-03-19 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} He left Calvin Klein in 2019.{{Cite web |date=2019-01-10 |title=Calvin Klein Set to Hire a New Creative Lead |url=https://www.businessoffashion.com/articles/retail/calvin-klein-set-to-hire-a-new-creative-lead/ |access-date=2024-03-31 |website=The Business of Fashion |language=en}}
=Bottega Veneta, 2020–2024=
In 2020, Blazy became design director of ready-to-wear at Bottega Veneta. In November 2021, he was appointed creative director of Bottega Veneta. Blazy brought an inclusive management style ("egalitarian" according to Anne Collier), shrank the design team, and got the craftspeople involved in the creative process.{{Cite news |last=Friedman |first=Vanessa |date=20 September 2023 |title=The Magician of Milan |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/style/matthieu-blazy-bottega-veneta.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223001033/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/style/matthieu-blazy-bottega-veneta.html |archive-date=23 February 2024 |access-date=2024-02-23 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} He introduced the trompe-l'œil denim leather pants (2021),{{Cite web |last=Cerini |first=Marianna |date=28 February 2022 |title=Bottega Veneta unveils first collection by new creative director Matthieu Blazy |url=https://www.cnn.com/style/article/matthieu-blazy-bottega-veneta/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223002450/https://www.cnn.com/style/article/matthieu-blazy-bottega-veneta/index.html |archive-date=23 February 2024 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=CNN |language=en}} the intrecciato-woven handbags Kalimero (2022){{Cite web |last=Brain |first=Eric |date=12 November 2022 |title=Bottega Veneta's $10,500 USD Double Kalimero Is a Bag of Two Halves |url=https://hypebeast.com/2022/11/bottega-veneta-double-kalimero-spring-summer-2023-runway-bag-10500-usd-leather-matthiue-blazy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223004152/https://hypebeast.com/2022/11/bottega-veneta-double-kalimero-spring-summer-2023-runway-bag-10500-usd-leather-matthiue-blazy |archive-date=23 February 2024 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=Hypebeast}} and Andiamo (2023),{{Cite web |last=Brain |first=Eric |date=16 February 2023 |title=Matthieu Blazy's Bottega Veneta Debuts New Everyday Classic, the Andiamo Bag |url=https://hypebeast.com/2023/2/bottega-veneta-andiamo-bag-matthieu-blazy-intrecciato-release-information |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223011017/https://hypebeast.com/2023/2/bottega-veneta-andiamo-bag-matthieu-blazy-intrecciato-release-information |archive-date=23 February 2024 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=Hypebeast}} and the knitted leather sock-slippers (2023).{{Cite web |last=Brain |first=Eric |date=28 February 2023 |title=Take a Closer Look at Bottega Veneta's Winter 2023 Collection |url=https://hypebeast.com/2023/2/bottega-veneta-winter-2023-collection-closer-look-footwear-bags-matthieu-blazy |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223003422/https://hypebeast.com/2023/2/bottega-veneta-winter-2023-collection-closer-look-footwear-bags-matthieu-blazy |archive-date=23 February 2024 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=Hypebeast}} He was dubbed the "Magician of Milan" by Vanessa Friedman. In September 2023, the brand opened its flagship store in Paris on avenue Montaigne, the first designed by Blazy.{{Cite web |last=zeitoun |first=lea |date=27 September 2023 |title=industrial glass blocks engulf bottega veneta's avenue montaigne flagship store in paris |url=https://www.designboom.com/design/industrial-glass-blocks-engulf-bottega-veneta-avenue-montaigne-flagship-store-paris-09-27-2023/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240223005119/https://www.designboom.com/design/industrial-glass-blocks-engulf-bottega-veneta-avenue-montaigne-flagship-store-paris-09-27-2023/ |archive-date=23 February 2024 |access-date=2024-02-23 |website=designboom {{!}} architecture & design magazine |language=en}} As part of his duties, he designed the costumes of the Venice Dance Biennale.{{Cite web |last=Eleuterio |first=Juliette |date=2023-07-31 |title=Matthieu Blazy designs Bottega Veneta’s costumes for Biennale Danza |url=https://culted.com/matthieu-blazy-designs-bottega-venetas-costumes-for-biennale-danza/ |access-date=2024-03-04 |website=Culted |language=en-GB}}
In December 2024, Bottega Veneta announced Blazy's departure from the brand.
=Chanel=
In December 2024, Blazy was named creative director of Chanel.Diderich, Joelle, and Miles Socha (December 12, 2024). [https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/chanel-creative-director-matthieu-blazy-1236735148/#:~:text=Designer%20and%20Luxury-,BREAKING%3A%20Chanel%20Picks%20Matthieu%20Blazy%20as%20New%20Creative%20Director,is%20moving%20to%20Rue%20Cambon.&text=PARIS%20–%20At%20a%20time%20when,term%20match%20in%20Matthieu%20Blazy. BREAKING: Chanel Picks Matthieu Blazy as New Creative Director. The star designer, who heated up Bottega Veneta to the boiling point, is moving to Rue Cambon.] WWD.
Personal life
Blazy was in a relationship with fellow fashion designer Pieter Mulier until 2023.Vanessa Friedman (20 September 2023), [https://www.nytimes.com/2023/09/20/style/matthieu-blazy-bottega-veneta.html The Magician of Milan] New York Times.
References
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Category:Belgian fashion designers