For Chanel, success is the best marketing When the coverage of the collection's arrival in stores exceeds that of the show

Watching the latest Chanel FW26 show, which represents Mathieu Blazy's second ready-to-wear collection for the brand, one gets the distinct feeling of witnessing a sort of telepathic dialogue between the designer and his clientele. Looking at the parade of jackets and skirts, shirts and tweed suits, silk dresses studded with flowers and iridescences, it is clear that Blazy is addressing his audience directly, with whom he is closely connected.

It is precisely this connection that lies at the heart of the phenomenon unfolding these days around Chanel: alongside the classic media coverage of the show, the real buzz is coming from the SS26 collection's arrival in stores, to the point that many industry insiders are talking about a Chanel-mania that has swept through Paris. But why?

“Seeing” one's own clientele

The key to understanding this connection between Blazy and his target audience lies in styling and proportions: wide-shouldered jackets, very little skin exposed, the absence of tight waists or body-hugging fits seem made for a more mature, upper-class audience. A choice also reflected in the show's casting, which opened with a look worn by the 49-year-old Stephanie Cavalli, a face that has already become a symbol of the “new” Chanel but also a programmatic manifesto for a brand that is not dressing Gen Z and that does not intend to sell fantasies of youthful beauty but of ageless beauty. A crucial distinction.

At the same time, individual pieces taken alone can be remixed into less layered ensembles that are more youthful and sexy. And there is no better example than the outfits of guests like Lily-Rose Depp and Jennie Kim, showing quite a bit more skin, but also Teyana Taylor's look, which reinterpreted the same pieces in a more camp and fun key. All these examples demonstrate that Blazy has indeed cracked the “Chanel code”, managing to create a unified aesthetic that articulates through a range of products capable of satisfying different customer segments simply by changing the styling of the pieces.

Where another designer would probably have insisted on more revealing looks and a fantasy based on idealized beauty, Blazy has invested in the real world. A very important reality for understanding Chanel is the relationship the brand has with its own clients, who represent a substantial portion of the invitations to the pharaonic shows organized several times a year. While other brands may chase the illusion of a young audience, Chanel has always been in dialogue with its clients around the world and with the women of Paris in particular.

They are mature and wealthy women, with sharp taste, tied to a certain type of style that is ladylike but also over-the-top. Theirs is a practical life that nevertheless takes place in an elitist universe where fashion does not need to disguise itself as streetwear but can be luxurious without restraint, except perhaps for the golden rule of not drawing too much attention. Yesterday's show was clearly for them: intellectual but bon-ton, feminine but modest, functional but unequivocally elevated. You don't need to be a top model to wear these clothes, but you need to be a Chanel woman. Which also explains the frenzy with which editors, creators, and insiders have spoken about the arrival of Blazy's first collection in stores.

Success as marketing

As mentioned above, media coverage of Chanel these days has been somewhat unusual, as more has been said about the customers rushing to stores than about yesterday's show. The real news, akin to the announcement of a downpour in the midst of drought, is that Blazy's first collection arrived in stores on Thursday and clientele literally rushed to buy it. The ballet flats and two-tone heels, along with the Maxi Flap Bag, have become a true hit, but what strikes commentators is the level of collective interest sparked by the products' arrival in stores.

Speaking to Refinery29, archive fashion expert Gab Waller said she had not seen such interest in the brand in the last eight years. In the NY Times even Vanessa Friedman says she has never seen editors and insiders in her life spend their own money on a brand instead of settling for a gift or waiting for a sale. In Vogue instead, not only is it reported that customers even wait an hour munching madeleines while waiting for a store salesperson to “receive them,” while historical clients have appointments booked weeks or months in advance.

In the same Vogue article, the names of celebrities who arrived in Rue Cambon or at Le Bon Marché in search of already sold-out models are casually mentioned. Social media is also full of videos of customers in line, influencers, and VICs leaving the store loaded with bags and shopping bags. There hasn't been such online buzz for a collection's store arrival since Miu Miu's SS22 drop. Which is proof of the success of Blazy's operation for Chanel, but also of what happens when a brand so perfectly targets its clientele that even those who are not technically part of it remain fascinated by its proposal.

One can certainly say, in any case, that the near-alignment of the collection's store arrival with the new show in Paris, and the resulting concentration in the city of all the big names in publishing and celebrities, seems almost like a perfect storm orchestrated on purpose. And in a lean period and crisis for fashion, knowing that a collection has sparked frenzy in an otherwise reluctant public sounds like the most reliable sign that on the store rails, on the shelves of bags and shoes, or in the jewelry windows, there is something not to be missed. Which makes us reflect on how, in a moment of crisis and uncertainty, there is no better marketing than extraordinary success.