Matthieu Blazy debuts at Chanel Cruise

Matthieu Blazy staged his first Chanel Cruise show in Biarritz on April 28, sending the house back to the city where Gabrielle Chanel opened a couture house in 1915. (chanel.com) (wmagazine.com) Chanel presented the Cruise 2026/27 collection at Casino Municipal, with two show times, 11:00 and 15:00, and more than 900 guests announced in town. (uk.fashionnetwork.com) The collection ran to 79 silhouettes, according to FashionNetwork, moving from a black day dress to ocean-themed evening looks inside a mirrored salon facing the Atlantic. (uk.fashionnetwork.com) Chanel’s own show notes framed the clothes around motion: fluttering silk foulards, rustling raffia skirts, washed cotton-canvas suiting, and the line “The salon slips into the beach.” (chanel.com) W Magazine reported that Blazy opened with a version of Chanel’s little black dress, then moved through black tweeds, mariner stripes, florals, fishtail mermaid gowns, heel-cap shoes, and an oversized beach tote. (wmagazine.com) The Biarritz setting tied the collection to a specific part of Chanel history. The house said Gabrielle Chanel used the Basque coast to develop the style codes that later defined Rue Cambon. (chanel.com) Blazy arrived at Chanel after the company named him artistic director of fashion activities in December 2024, with responsibility for haute couture, ready-to-wear, and accessories starting in 2025. (channelnewsasia.com) (businessoffashion.com) That makes this Cruise outing an early test of how Blazy handles one of Chanel’s most commercial formats. AnOther noted that Cruise sits in Chanel boutiques longer than most seasonal collections. (anothermag.com) The guest list underlined the scale of the event. W Magazine reported that Nicole Kidman, Tilda Swinton, A$AP Rocky, and Sofia Coppola were seated front row in Biarritz. (wmagazine.com) Local officials also treated the show as a city event. FashionNetwork reported that Biarritz closed streets around the casino, worked with Chanel on security, and broadcast the show at Gare du Midi for lottery-selected viewers. (uk.fashionnetwork.com) For Chanel, the result was a debut Cruise collection that linked Blazy’s tenure to the house’s origin story in Biarritz, while pushing beachwear, tailoring, and evening clothes into the same frame. (chanel.com) (wmagazine.com)