A New Chapter Begins: Matthieu Blazy Introduces Chanel At La Pausa
For his debut campaign at Chanel, Matthieu Blazy turns to a place steeped in intimacy and imagination: La Pausa, the sun-washed villa on the French Riviera where Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel once escaped, created, and entertained.
Built by Chanel in 1928, La Pausa became a haven for the cultural elite of the era. Artists and thinkers such as Salvador Dalí, Luchino Visconti, and Colette passed through its doors, drawn by the house’s quiet glamour and free-spirited energy. Nearly a century later, Blazy reawakens that legacy, using the villa as both setting and muse for Chanel’s Spring 2026 campaign.
Photographed by Alec Soth, the images capture a sense of ease and playfulness that feels deeply rooted in Coco’s world. Models including Awar Odhiang, Bhavitha Mandava, Loli Bahia, Aditsa Berzeniia, and Marta Freccia move through the recently restored rooms with an effortless intimacy. Trinidad Castaño, Waleska Gorczevski, Noor Khan, Latahlia Hickling, Josephen Akuei, Xiuli Jiang, and Cathy Simmons complete the cast.
Across the campaign, the models leap down staircases, recline on Chanel’s own bed, and perch among the olive trees in the courtyard of the Roquebrune-Cap-Martin estate, perched at the edge of France and Italy. One standout image—set in the olive tree—directly nods to archival black-and-white photographs of Chanel herself, laughing and climbing the branches alongside friends like gallerist Pierre Colle and socialite Audrey Field.
Chanel describes the campaign as an ongoing “conversation” between Blazy and the house’s founder, rooted in their shared approach to masculine-feminine dressing. The collection blends sharp, androgynous tailoring with ornate daywear and evening pieces, all designed with movement and personal expression in mind. “It revolves around love, freedom, and movement,” the house explains. “Everything has been imagined for playing, layering, and inventing—for composing one’s own language.”
The Spring 2026 collection will arrive in Chanel boutiques this March.
Photos Credit: Alec Soth via Chanel
