Just six months after Matthieu Blazy presented his debut collection for Chanel, and a week after it hit stores, the frenzy is undeniable: queues outside boutiques, tussles at tills, and a flurry of social media boasts about purchases. Now, the high street is catching on. Expect bouclé jackets and quilted chain-link bags to dominate affordable fashion rails.
The catalyst is Blazy's first video campaign, starring Margot Robbie and directed by Michel Gondry. Within minutes of its online launch, it had amassed hundreds of thousands of views. The advertisement riffs on Kylie Minogue's 2002 music video for 'Come into My World', with multiple Robbies duplicating as she strolls a fake Rue Montmartre. The look is distinctive: an oatmeal tweed jacket with frayed cuffs, unbuttoned over a white vest, paired with stonewash straight-leg jeans.
This specific outfit formula is proving irresistible. Mario Ortelli, managing partner at luxury advisory firm Ortelli & Co, notes: 'When a new product and creative direction is successful, it is copied by the high street. If not, it means it is not relevant or only relevant for a niche.' M&S has already introduced bouclé-inspired jackets with Chanel-esque gold buttons at £55. Zara's raw-edged jackets and cardigans top bestseller lists, while Mango offers a tweed take for £49.99. For jeans, JW Anderson for Uniqlo and H&M provide close matches.
The simplicity of the look is key, according to Ella Baynes, insight executive at Savvy Marketing. 'In the midst of an affordability crisis, the simplistic look is aspirational but also achievable,' she says, noting that the campaign's everydayness makes Chanel seem wearable. Julia Hobbs, contributing senior fashion features editor at British Vogue, likens the combination to 'fashion's version of the perfect pop song', comparing it to Anna Wintour's debut Vogue cover in 1988 that mixed high and low fashion. Nostalgia, too, plays a role, with Blazy's 41-year-old perspective referencing the not-so-distant past.
