Matthieu Blazy gathers talented troops to join Chanel's design team

Back in December, Chanel confirmed that Matthieu Blazy was its new Artistic Director, which came into effect on 1 April. Since he took the helm, Blazy has been gathering the talented troops of seasoned designers under the radar to become part of the new Chanel design team.

Blazy has tapped Maison Margiela's Andrew Heather to join his design team, according to WWD's sources. It is understood that Heather will start start his post in June and will work in Chanel’s haute couture studio.

Heather, who is a graduate of London’s Royal College of Art, started out as a design assistant to Bruce Oldfield before moving to Paris in 1998 to work at Givenchy as head designer under Lee Alexander McQueen.

In 2011, he was named Creative Director of fur house Revillon, following in the footsteps of iconic designers Rick Owens and Peter Dundas. In the years following, Heather held senior design roles at Celine, Chloé and most recently Maison Margiela.

A Chanel spokesperson said: "As we enter a new chapter, it is natural that we should consider to have our creative organisation evolve by bringing in new talents, while continuing to rely on our current teams."

Last December, after much speculation, Matthieu Blazy was confirmed as the next Artistic Director of Chanel, marking the first external appointment to the role since Karl Lagerfeld was employed to revamp the brand in 1983.

After Virginie Viard's exit from the role in June, Blazy's name had been on the industry's lips as a possible replacement. The French-Belgian designer served as Creative Director for Bottega Veneta since 2021, following the sudden exit of now-Burberry Chief Creative Officer Daniel Lee. Carven Creative Director, Louise Trotter is Blazy's successor at the Italian luxury house.

The appointment succeeds Viard’s five-year tenure as Creative Director, a role she assumed following Karl Lagerfeld’s death in 2019. Since Viard’s departure was announced, speculation over her successor has been rife. Names such as Hedi Slimane, John Galliano, and Simon Porte Jacquemus were frequently mentioned, while Marc Jacobs openly expressed his interest in the position.

Alain Wertheimer, Global Executive Chairman, and Leena Nair, Global CEO of Chanel, called Blazy "one of the most gifted designers of his generation".

"His vision and talent will reinforce the energy of the brand and our position as a leader in luxury. Under Bruno Pavlovsky’s [Chanel's President of Fashion] leadership, we are confident that Matthieu Blazy will continue to shape what’s next and write a new page in Chanel’s creation," they said.