PARIS – Chanel is leading the luxury pack with a double-digit sales increase in the first half, thanks to strong demand for creative director Matthieu Blazy’s first collections, according to a Bloomberg report.
The French fashion house, which publishes its results annually, declined to comment on the report, which quoted an unnamed source as saying that comparable revenue at Chanel Ltd. climbed by around 16 percent during the first six months of the year.
The leak represented an unprecedented breach of confidentiality at the privately-owned company, and comes as its longtime chief financial officier, Philippe Blondiaux, prepares to hand over his duties to seasoned spirits executive Hélène de Tissot at the end of the year.
In an interview with WWD in May, Chanel global chief executive officer Leena Nair and Blondiaux said they saw growing momentum across all divisions starting in the second half of 2025 and continuing into 2026, which translated into revenue growth in the high-single digits.
“We are on track and confident for the year ahead and beyond,” Nair said.
Full-year revenues rose 3 percent at reported exchange rates to $19.3 billion in 2025, representing an increase of 1.8 percent in comparable terms. This marked a turnaround from the previous year, when revenues were down 4.3 percent at comparable rates amid a sharp slowdown in spending in mainland China.
If confirmed, Chanel’s growth in the first semester of 2026 would place it ahead of its luxury sector peers, which recently reported second-quarter results.
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton said revenues were up 2 percent in organic terms, while Kering reported a 1 percent increase. Hermès International was up 6 percent, and Brunello Cucinelli was among the strongest performers with a 13.3 percent jump.
Bloomberg said sales at the fashion division, which according to its source represents about 60 percent of Chanel’s revenue, grew by a similar percentage to group sales.
Social media has been awash with videos of hour-long queues at Chanel boutiques and ecstatic unboxings, in what has been termed “Blazymania.” The designer’s first main collection went on sale in March, followed by the Coco Beach seasonal capsule and the Métiers d’Art, or pre-fall, line.
Chanel retained its position as the world’s hottest brand in the latest Lyst Index for the second quarter of 2026, published on Wednesday.
The Bloomberg source cautioned that the brand’s full-year performance will likely be lower than in the first six months of the year because of a tougher comparison basis moving into the second half.
