Artistic director is all smiles as he swaps quiet luxury for bold colours and patterns at Paris show

“It’s a good start,” Matthieu Blazy said after a Paris show that marked a year of his tenure as artistic director at Chanel. “I am happy with where we are at.”

Chanel now holds the top spot in the Lyst index of the world’s hottest brands, which tracks demand and engagement across search and social media. The privately held company announces official financial results only once a year, but figures reported by Bloomberg showed 16% growth in the first half of 2026. In Vanity Fair’s list of the world’s 50 most powerful people, published this month, Blazy is the only fashion designer to make the cut. People who don’t much care about fashion have noticed him; people who do care about fashion talk about him non-stop.