Chanel Acquires Historic French Shirtmaker Charvet

PARIS — Chanel and Charvet are making it official.

The French fashion house revealed Thursday that it has acquired full ownership of the heritage shirtmaker, cementing a relationship that stretches back to founder Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel, who liked to buy Charvet shirts for her lover, Arthur “Boy” Capel.  

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Chanel and Charvet have grown close since artistic director Matthieu Blazy rekindled their historic bond by tapping the cult shirtmaker to make three oversize cotton button-up shirts for his debut collection for Chanel last October.

Weighed down with a signature Chanel chain at the hem, they were among the “It” pieces of the spring 2026 collection, and have been worn by celebrities including Nicole Kidman, Jessie Buckley and Jacob Elordi.

Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, said Blazy formed an instant rapport with siblings Anne-Marie and Jean-Claude Colban, who run Charvet, bought by their father in the 1960s — setting the stage for a permanent rapprochement.

“We decided to get married,” Pavlovsky told WWD.

“Chanel is a house primarily aimed at women, though we have a growing male clientele, while Charvet is a house primarily aimed at men, though it’s drawing more and more women. It’s part of our legend and storytelling. We thought it made sense for the future of Charvet to be secured by Chanel,” he added.

The deal was made public ahead of Blazy’s second haute couture collection, scheduled to be presented on Tuesday, to underscore the parallel between Charvet’s made-to-measure tailoring service and Chanel’s haute couture activities.

The Colbans, who are in their 70s, were keen to secure the long-term continuity of the company to preserve its unique know-how and specialized staff, Pavlovsky said. Charvet employs some 40 people at its store on Place Vendôme in Paris, and another 60 at its production workshop in Saint-Gaultier in central France.

Jean-Claude Colban, managing director of Charvet, said the two companies are united by their history and shared high standards.

“This relationship has developed quite naturally, marked by open and collaborative exchanges, and rooted in common values: the passing down of savoir-faire, the respect for craftsmanship and the meticulous attention to quality down to the very last detail,” he said in a statement.

“My sister Anne-Marie and I are delighted by this new chapter in Charvet’s history, which is perfectly in keeping with the spirit and identity that have always defined our company,” Colban added.

Pavlovsky takes over as president of Charvet, which joins a group of Chanel-owned companies including swimwear brands Eres and Orlebar Brown; cashmere specialist Barrie; milliner Maison Michel; silversmith Goossens, and several vineyards.

Chanel has also acquired Charvet’s six-floor building on Place Vendôme, bolstering its historic presence on the 18th-century square, considered the epicenter of Paris industry.

Laid out in an octagonal shape, Place Vendôme is the inspiration behind the design of Chanel’s signature perfume bottles and was home to Coco Chanel, who lived at the Ritz hotel for more than three decades.

The Charvet logo, meanwhile, incorporates a sun insignia borrowed from the wrought iron balconies of the square, designed by architect Jules Hardouin-Mansart to the glory of Louis XIV, the Sun King.

Founded in 1838, Charvet is France’s oldest shirtmaker and has dressed luminaries including Marcel Proust, Winston Churchill, John F. Kennedy, Yves Saint Laurent, Karl Lagerfeld and Sofia Coppola.

“It’s a treasure,” said Pavlovsky, highlighting the brand’s historic archives and large choice of colors.

“At Charvet, there’s not one blue, there are 500 blues. There’s not one white, there are dozens. What’s extraordinary is the level of precision and sophistication in the details, which is quite unique,” he said.

The third floor of the store is home to what is billed as the world’s largest collection of shirtings, with 6,000 types of poplins, batistes, zephyrs and voiles, and another room dedicated just to collars. Monograms are hand-embroidered and can be custom designed. 

Meanwhile, Charvet’s travel slippers, whose fans include Chloë Sevigny, are available in 128 shades of suede kidskin or napa leather. Other products include ties, pajamas, dressing gowns, underwear and socks.

Blazy, whose cruise 2027 collection included another Charvet shirt with a front panel made of guipure lace, plans to continue working with the brand on future projects, Pavlovsky said. The two companies developed a special process for manufacturing their first batch of shirts, which retailed for 3,500 to 3,900 euros.

“It hasn’t been super easy, because if you want to maintain high standards, you can’t just place an order for thousands of pieces,” he said. “Charvet supervised and approved every step of production. They didn’t have the capacity to do it all on their own, so we worked with another manufacturer and they brought in their know-how.”

Chanel plans to respect the creative independence and exclusive character of the brand, which has only one boutique.

“We’re not going to open stores around the world — that’s not the goal — nor are we looking to expand the business. Our primary aim is to ensure the long-term viability of this gem, which is highly successful as it stands today,” Pavlovsky said.