Chanel rides momentum under Blazy with spring collection and retail expansion
One year into Matthieu Blazy's tenure, Chanel is outperforming the luxury market with surging sales, a redesigned studio structure, and a strategic approach to scarcity.
Chanel is riding fresh momentum under Matthieu Blazy. One year after the designer’s debut collection for the house, Bruno Pavlovsky, the brand’s president of fashion, told WWD that Chanel is “significantly outperforming the market,” with boutiques across the United States, Europe, and Japan all selling more ready-to-wear. China and the rest of Asia have also proved “surprisingly resilient” despite economic headwinds, according to Pavlovsky. The brand has ranked among the world’s most sought-after labels by Lyst for two consecutive quarters.
Blazy presented his spring 2027 collection at the Grand Palais on Monday. The show opened with a gauzy white slip dress paired with Gabrielle Chanel’s 2.55 handbag, a pairing that grounded the collection in the house’s history while pointing forward. Rather than rewriting Chanel’s codes, Elle reported, Blazy reveals new dimensions within them—mixing drop-waist skirts in bouclé and wool with vivid embroidered jackets, ballerina tulle dresses with Edwardian corsetry, and endless variations of the cap-toe heel. An illuminated flock of swifts and swallows crossed the ceiling, a motif Blazy said embodied Gabrielle’s journey toward freedom.
Studio Reorganization and Production
The designer’s collections are selling quickly despite market volatility. Social media has documented hour-long queues at Chanel boutiques and customer unboxings, a phenomenon the brand has termed “Blazymania.” His first main collection went on sale in March; his fall 2026 collection landed in stores on September 20.
To manage this demand, Chanel has restructured its design operation for the first time since 1983. Previously, a single studio produced ten collections annually. The house has now added thirty people and split the workload into three groups focused on haute couture, ready-to-wear, and Métiers d’Art plus cruise collections, according to Pavlovsky. The manufacturing network, which draws from roughly 1,000 suppliers at various tiers, has remained essentially intact, though Blazy’s push into unisex and menswear has required partnerships with specialized tailoring ateliers to ensure proper construction rather than adaptation of women’s garments.
Scarcity by Design
For Pavlovsky, the challenge now is satisfying demand without accepting pre-orders. Chanel’s collections typically sell through quickly as customers attempt to secure standout runway pieces.
“Right now, we’re all about managing scarcity, but it’s not because we’re not ordering enough,” Pavlovsky told WWD. “It’s because of the shelf life of our collections, which is two to three months on average.” Each design enters production in quantities ranging from 80 to 1,200 units, then disperses across 250 boutiques—with each store receiving no more than four or five pieces of any single style. “That’s the beauty of fashion,” Pavlovsky said. “There’s what catches your eye and sparks desire during the show, and there can never be enough of those pieces—we could make 10 times as many and still not have enough.”
Production Schedules and Retail Growth
Different collection types operate on different timelines. The spring collection, due in stores in late February or early March, faces compressed production—less than four months—because Italian manufacturers typically close during year-end holidays. The Métiers d’Art collection, timed to the pre-fall season, receives five to six months for completion.
Chanel is pursuing steady retail growth, renovating multiple locations annually while opening new boutiques. The brand opened a Palo Alto store in June and will debut a San Diego location this week. A temporary outpost is planned for Sydney’s Chatswood Chase shopping center on October 16, ahead of Blazy’s replica cruise show on November 5. Melbourne will receive a renovated boutique on November 11, and a Shanghai pop-up will launch the Coco Neige winter sports line on October 14. Pavlovsky described Australia as “another promising market” as Chanel seeks to upgrade its retail experience for an expanding customer base interested in ready-to-wear.
Blazy will present a Métiers d’Art collection in Rome on December 2. “The question is: how do we sustain this momentum in the months and years ahead?” Pavlovsky asked.
This article was compiled by the Glamorade editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.
