ETERNAL CITY: After alighting in a New York City subway station last year, Matthieu Blazy will be unveiling his next Métiers d’Art collection in Rome, Chanel said Friday. The line is scheduled to be presented on Dec. 2, with the exact location to be disclosed at a later date.
The announcement was accompanied by a photograph of founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel with Italian filmmaker Luchino Visconti. The two worked together on his segment of the comedy anthology movie “Boccaccio ’70,” released in 1962, with Chanel designing the costumes for the film’s star, Romy Schneider.
“With this show, the house is writing a new chapter in its enduring story with Italy. Gabrielle Chanel discovered the country in the summer of 1920 and never ceased to visit thereafter,” the house said.
“The couturière stayed in Rome on several occasions, deepening her love of Renaissance painting, antique art and Italian cinema. Her Italian friendships fueled her imagination and made a strong impression on her work,” it added.
The brand has regularly staged shows in Italy, most recently presenting its cruise 2026 collection on Lake Como. Chanel’s longtime creative director, the late Karl Lagerfeld, unveiled his Métiers d’Art collection at Rome’s Cinecittà film studio in 2015.
A look from Chanel’s Métiers d’Art 2016 collection shown in Rome.
Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, touted the Italian capital’s “exceptional heritage” and noted that Blazy, who was previously creative director at Bottega Veneta, has close ties with Italy.
“It’s no secret that Matthieu is extremely fond of Italy and knows the country well, so we all wanted to return to Italy. Tackling Rome is always a challenge, because it represents a pinnacle,” the executive told WWD. “Beyond fashion, it’s a mythical destination and an endless source of inspiration.”
Chanel has presented the Métiers d’Art line, timed around the pre-fall season, in cities as far-flung as Tokyo; Edinburgh, Scotland; Hangzhou, China, and Dakar, Senegal.
The Métiers d’Art collections celebrate the capabilities of the specialty ateliers Chanel has acquired. Several of them are now grouped at Le19M, a striking building designed by architect Rudy Ricciotti and located on the outskirts of Paris.
Le19M brings together embroiderer and tweed-maker Lesage, its embroidery school and Lesage Intérieurs; embroidery workshop Montex and its decoration department MTX; shoemaker Massaro; feather- and flower-maker Lemarié; milliner Maison Michel; pleater Lognon; grand flou atelier Paloma, and goldsmith Goossens.
Models on the runway at Chanel’s 2026 Métiers d’Art show in New York City.
Masato Onada/WWD
