“Ah! The show is in the subway!” exclaimed a woman dressed head-to-toe in Chanel outside “Bowery 168,” the mysterious address printed on the invitation she received from the fashion house. Once she overcame her surprise, she descended the stairs, at the bottom of which stood metal turnstiles. On Tuesday, December 2, in New York, Chanel unveiled its 2026 métiers d’art collection on a disused platform at the Bowery subway station.
The experience was a complete change of scene for most of the 1,100 guests. Among them were many customers who arrived in black Chevrolets leased by the brand, causing a huge traffic jam in the narrow streets of the Lower East Side. Adorned in embroidered, gilded, metallic and logo-bearing outfits, Chanel’s loyal followers posed – slightly taken aback but smiling – at the underground ticket booth. Then, one level down, shivering in the draft, they took their seats on the red wooden benches the label had installed along the platform.
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Is a fashion show in the subway really a good idea? That was the question crossing the minds of guests as they waited beneath the harsh fluorescent lights of this less-than-photogenic venue. The arrival of actress Margaret Qualley and rapper A$AP Rocky, stars of the short film made especially for the occasion by Michel Gondry, put an end to such musings. Once the duo took their front-row seats, the festivities could begin. And immediately, any doubts were dispelled.
The Chanel Métiers d’Art 2026 show, held in New York on December 2, 2025. KYLIE COOPER/REUTERS
A subway train pulled into the station, carrying models. Others emerged simultaneously from each side of the platform. Thus began a mesmerizing ballet of elegant figures in motion, crossing, challenging, or ignoring one another. Some looked as if they had just left a ball, in voluminous dresses and dazzling gemstone necklaces. Others provoked questions: What kind of secret meeting was the woman in a slip dress, a veil on her head, and feathered shoes headed to? A few evoked characters from 1920s films, dressed in masculine pinstriped suits or flowing gowns with Art Deco patterns. More classic silhouettes – jeans, fisherman sweaters, pumps – yet remarkably refined, also emerged from this eclectic crowd.
Chanel. CHANEL
Chanel. CJ RIVERA/CJ RIVERA/INVISION/AP
“What’s extraordinary about the New York subway is that there’s no hierarchy. Social strata disappear. You might meet a student, a woman who shapes the destiny of the world, politicians, or teenagers,” explained Matthieu Blazy, justifying his choice of venue. The artistic director drew on his memories of three years spent in New York between 2016 and 2018 while working for Calvin Klein, a time that solidified his bond with the city.
Effortless, unrestrictive clothing
“New York is also Gabrielle [Chanel]’s city,” added the 41-year-old French-Belgian, referencing the founder’s 1931 trip: “While walking down the street, she realized people had adopted the Chanel style, beyond just her customers. She saw it as an honor, and it gave her new momentum when she returned to France, where she started designing simpler, everyday clothes.” Influencing the way people dress, and not just in the small world of luxury, is also one of Blazy’s stated goals.
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His first show for Chanel, presented in Paris in October, already placed Gabrielle Chanel at the heart of his vision. He borrowed from the couturière the idea of effortless, unrestrictive clothing. This lightness was paired with a sense of movement: fabrics, often adorned with fringe, feathers, or raw, swirling edges, seemed to come alive on the women wearing them. This tactile artistry, omnipresent in the ready-to-wear collection, reached new heights in this métiers d’art show, which showcased the skills of the 11 artisan workshops Chanel has acquired over the years: the feather specialist Lemarié in 1996, the milliner Maison Michel in 1997, the embroiderer Lesage in 2002, and so on.
Chanel. CHANEL
Chanel. CHANEL
“This is a collection where we can have fun, create pieces that really tell stories and shape characters,” said Blazy. His sense of fantasy was evident not only in the staging, but in the details too, such as a Classique quilted bag with a golden giraffe neck and legs, a nod to the animated film Madagascar (2005), in which a giraffe gets lost in the New York subway. And while the craftsmanship in the garments was as rigorous and accomplished as ever, the show’s soundtrack, featuring 1990s hits like Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn” to old-school TV themes like Happy Days, set a relaxed tone. “I could have introduced a gloomy note to reflect a certain reality. But I think there’s poetry in what we do,” the designer said.
“Matthieu [Blazy] brings a burst of energy and optimism,” summed up Bruno Pavlovsky. The president of Chanel’s fashion division, who entrusted the coveted role to the French-Belgian, did not seem to regret his choice. He insisted that the house was ready for an aesthetic shift after years without any major surprises and saw Blazy, whose “talent, imagination, humor and sense of product” he praised, as the ideal person for the job. Blazy’s first collection will arrive in boutiques in February 2026, when it will become clear whether customers embrace what appears to be a new era for Chanel.