"What is haute couture? It's an existential, philosophical question that always arises around this fashion as art form, an anachronism in our modern world. Why does couture persist? Why should it exist? It's something designers are grappling with this week, not least Matthieu Blazy in his Chanel haute couture debut. For him, couture is about intimacy, privacy, and an impossible, almost unbearable lightness. Couture is about doing what has never been done before. He made this Chanel collection directly on the body."
""That is the definition of couture," he said backstage. No sketches, no reference images. "Zero." Zero basically being the antithesis of the 100 RPM, 1001 Nights, cranked-up 100 decibel volume of what everyone thinks couture should be, but the definition of what Chanel always stood for. After all, Scheherazade is easy, a little black dress is difficult. Who said that again? Couture here was about essentiality, reduction to the very basis."
Matthieu Blazy centered sensuality for the Chanel Spring/Summer 2026 haute couture debut, prioritizing touch and tactile experience over visual spectacle. He created garments directly on the body with no sketches or reference images, embracing a 'zero' approach that purposefully opposed maximalist couture excess. The collection emphasized intimacy, privacy, lightness and essentiality, aligning with Gabrielle Chanel's philosophies. Inspiration came from a haiku of a bird on a mushroom, prompting an experiment in how minimal ideas can expand into a full couture presentation with a heightened natural set and quietly radical results.
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