Matthieu Blazy, who officially started work April 1 as Chanel’s new artistic director of fashion activities, is quietly assembling his team, WWD has learned.
According to market sources, he has tapped seasoned designer Andrew Heather from Maison Margiela for a top post.
It is understood Heather starts in June and will work in Chanel‘s haute couture studio.
A graduate of London’s Royal College of Art, Heather started out as a design assistant to Bruce Oldfield before moving to Paris in 1998 to work at Givenchy as head designer, haute couture, under Lee Alexander McQueen. He stayed on to assist Riccardo Tisci on Givenchy’s couture collections.
In 2011, he was named creative director of fur house Revillon, following in the famous footsteps of Rick Owens and Peter Dundas.
Between 2013 and 2021, Heather held senior design roles at Celine and Chloé before joining Maison Margiela as design director of the Artisanal couture line under creative director John Galliano, according to sources.
Contacted on Monday by WWD about the hire, a Chanel spokeswoman said: “As we enter a new chapter, it is natural that we should consider to have our creative organization evolve by bringing in new talents, while continuing to rely on our current teams.”
Heather could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, sources said executives in Blazy’s immediate orbit that he is likely to bring with him to Chanel include Michael Giugliano, who lists himself on LinkedIn as head of brand expansion at Bottega Veneta.
Last December, Chanel confirmed that Blazy, formerly Bottega Veneta’s creative director, was joining the French house and would be responsible for all haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections.
“I am thrilled and honored to join the wonderful house of Chanel. I look forward to meeting all the teams and writing this new chapter together,” Blazy said in a statement at the time.
He is expected to make his debut with Chanel’s spring 2026 ready-to-wear collection, which should be unveiled during Paris Fashion Week next October.
