Matthieu Blazy’s first Métiers d’art collection for CHANEL frames New York as a place of intersecting lives and improvised glamour. The 2026 presentation draws inspiration from the city’s subway a crossroads where individuality thrives and filters it through the meticulous world of le19M. Before the show, glimpses inside the ateliers reveal the artisans shaping the narrative. Their techniques, refined over decades, give the collection both its personality and its power.
CHANEL COLLECTION 2026
Reinterpreting Embroidery Through Motio
Atelier Montex brings a dynamic, almost cinematic quality to the collection with embroidery executed using needlework, Lunéville crochet and the manually guided Cornély machine. Designs begin as delicate maps on tracing paper before artisans layer textures that catch movement and light. Montex’s blend of history and innovation allows Blazy to translate the pace of New York into materials that feel alive.
Goossens and the Poetry of Metal
At Goossens, metal becomes a storytelling device. The ateliers hammer, patinate and set stones with the same intensity given to fine jewelry. For the Métiers d’art 2026 collection, they create small animal forms that introduce whimsy and symbolism into the looks. Their work reflects the long standing relationship between the house and the world of art, grounding the collection in sculptural craft rather than decoration.
Massaro’s Footwear Architecture
Massaro, CHANEL’s historic shoemaking atelier, shapes the silhouettes from the ground up. Each shoe passes through the hands of last makers, cutters, stitchers and finishers who refine volume and balance. For this collection, they explore new textures and revisit the house’s emblematic two tone identity. The result is footwear that anchors the collection with its structured energy and confident stance.
Lesage and the Reinvention of Surface
Lesage contributes some of the collection’s most striking surfaces. From intricate Deco references to handwoven tweeds enriched with unexpected materials, the atelier expands CHANEL’s vocabulary of texture. Their leopard tweed becomes one of the show’s standout expressions, merging Parisian craft with New York attitude. At le19M, Lesage continues to evolve embroidery and tweed into forward looking forms.
Lemarié and the Art of Lightness
The artisans of Lemarié introduce softness and movement into the collection through feather and flower work. Each petal is shaped individually, while feathers are curled, tinted or sculpted into expressive fringes. Their pieces add rhythm to the silhouettes, creating transitions of volume that echo the city’s unpredictability. Lemarié’s touch brings emotional depth to Blazy’s vision.
Craft as Character
The Métiers d’art 2026 collection positions craft as the central narrator. Blazy uses the savoir faire of Lesage, Montex, Lemarié, Massaro, Goossens and Maison Michel to build characters rather than clothes. The artisans of le19M become co-authors of the story, each atelier adding its own layer to CHANEL’s evolving identity. This edition of Métiers d’art reinforces the house’s commitment to craftsmanship while opening a new chapter shaped by Blazy’s cinematic imagination.
Credits : Images via Chanel , courtesy of the copyright owners. Used under fair use for commentary and critique.
