Franco-Belgian designer Matthieu Blazy is set to make his debut in one of the most coveted jobs in the fashion industry on Monday when he sends out models for Chanel for the first time.

The 41-year-old, who was appointed Chanel creative director last December, will unveil his Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Paris Fashion Week in the biggest highlight of the season, if not the year.

Tasked with moving the brand on from the era of its legendary late supremo Karl Lagerfeld, Blazy is seen as needing to tread a delicate path between modernising Chanel while respecting its heritage.

"If there's one house where the traditions are more important than anywhere else, it's Chanel," Elvire von Bardeleben, a fashion journalist at France's Le Monde newspaper, told AFP.

Fashion lovers have had to wa

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