Luxury house Chanel arrives in New York with its Métiers d’Art 2026 collection, a project that Matthieu Blazy builds around the city’s subway and the mix of people who pass through it each day. He describes the system as a place where students, teenagers, gamechangers, and statesmen share space, each carrying their own story through clothing and attitude. This environment sets the tone for his first Métiers d’Art collection as Artistic Director of Fashion Activities. He uses the subway’s pulse and its unpredictable encounters to frame a setting where Chanel considers the everyday as a source of constant creativity.
Blazy presents the collection as a cast of personalities worthy of a film set. He places socialites beside superheroes, working girls beside showgirls, mothers beside teenagers, and even Coco Chanel herself as one of the figures who walk through the city with confidence. He pulls from the grit and glitter he finds in New York and pairs it with the refinement of the maisons that define the Métiers d’Art tradition. This approach creates a lively mix of eras, drawing references from the 1920s through the 2020s, from Art Deco glamour to a relaxed modern-lounge mood. The collection treats time as fluid, allowing stories and silhouettes to intersect freely through craft.
The pieces reflect this fluidity with an assortment of materials and techniques from le19M’s ateliers. Lingerie denim meets intricate embroidery to form a fresh interpretation of western references. An Art Deco dress from the archive appears reconfigured by Lesage, embellished with fringed feather work by Lemarié, and styled with illusion chinos that shift its character. A men’s shirt motif receives new weight through a Chanel chain and reappears as a tweed that echoes lumberjack flannel in a refined wool boucle. Throughout the collection, Blazy inserts playful choices and concealed details meant for the wearer alone.
Accessories take on this sense of mischief. Minaudières hide surprises, an enamelled oyster opens to reveal a pearl, while monkey nuts and apples appear as sculptural objects elevated through the maisons’ artistry. The jewellery introduces ice cube glass cabochons and Deco-inspired hummingbirds crafted by the goldsmiths of Goossens. Silk linings show hand-painted scenes of New York, from architectural motifs to Coco Chanel walking her dog with the skyline behind her.
Blazy also focuses on the characters who define the city’s neighbourhoods. He reimagines the “urban jungle” through figures who may be mystical, domestic, or slightly feline in nature. A slubbed leopard tweed suit, handwoven by Lesage, references a woman who might be a cat lady or a cat woman depending on one’s interpretation. Maison Michel adds a leopard fascinator to deepen the character’s intrigue. Another figure appears in a short black Chanel suit, carrying a classic leather flap bag with golden scales that create the illusion of a gilded alligator. A tulip skirt painted in leopard tones features petals trimmed with fringe that required several days of work from the artisans. Nearby, a woman in a bias-cut 1930s slip wears an Art Deco fish embroidery achieved by the artisans at Atelier Montex. Massaro’s classic slingbacks, whether in kidskin or spotted shearling, anchor the looks with the design created originally by Coco Chanel.
Blazy’s concept for the collection traces back to Gabrielle Chanel’s visits to New York in 1931, when she travelled through the city on her way to Hollywood. Samuel Goldwyn’s interest in Chanel’s fashion direction connected her to the film industry, but it was downtown New York that reinvigorated her sense of purpose. She observed how people adopted Chanel in ways that felt personal and expressive, a discovery that renewed her confidence in the global reach of her vision. This collection pays tribute to that moment, drawing strength from her connection to the city and her openness to new interpretations of her work.
Chanel presented its Métiers d’Art 2026 collection in New York on December 2nd, marking Matthieu Blazy’s first chapter with the houses of le19M.
