While designer Matthieu Blazy has just landed one of the most coveted jobs in the international fashion industry, the school from which he graduated is proving the excellence of its teaching more than ever. A close-up look.

Recently appointed Artistic Director of Chanel, where he is now in charge of the haute couture, ready-to-wear and accessories collections, designer Matthieu Blazy is one of the Cambre Mode[s] graduates who are dazzling on the international scene, especially in Paris. A graduate of the Brussels academy in 2007, he trained at a number of luxury fashion houses and alongside Raf Simons. Matthieu Blazy went on to work for Calvin Klein, Margiela and Bottega Veneta, which appointed him as Artistic Director in 2021. His recent appointment at Chanel makes him one of the most prominent Cambre Mode[s] graduates in the world. As the department prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary in 2026, it’s worth taking a closer look at its development over four decades. Initially in the shadow of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, Antwerp, which for a long time benefited from the highly international renown of its ‘Antwerp Six’ fashion designers, La Cambre Mode[s] has had the time it needs to find its feet. It now capitalises on the excellence of its teaching, which is both relevant and rooted in the realities of a sector in the throes of upheaval.

In the spotlight and in the shadows

Whether they are in the limelight — Anthony Vaccarello, Artistic Director of Saint Laurent, comes to mind, as do Nicolas Di Felice (Head of Courrèges), Julien Dossena (Creative Director at Rabanne), Julian Klausner (new Artistic Director at Dries van Noten) and now Matthieu Blazy — or in the shadows, the graduates of La Cambre Mode[s] are creating contemporary silhouettes that are setting the tone in Europe, as well as on the American and Asian markets. Less known as stars — but just as essential — are the designers of ready-to-wear lines or couture collections hired by Parisian brands. This is the case, for example, of Anaïs Lalu, in charge of Balenciaga’s highly avant-garde couture collection alongside Demna Gvasalia. Other key players in these prestigious brands are the studio directors, who ensure that the production side of the collections runs smoothly. At Celine, Lea Peckre (who graduated in 2010) holds this position. At Louis Vuitton Hommes, Isabelle Aout, who graduated in 1999, works behind the scenes at the prestigious fashion house.

Innovation and excellence

For foreign observers, the fashion design workshop at the Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Arts Visuels de La Cambre is sometimes regarded as a UFO, and surprises people with its non-conformist nature. As far as the training, structured over a five-year course, is concerned, Tony Delcampe, the Director, and his team have placed the emphasis on innovation, open-mindedness and excellence. Not least through “the great intellectual rigor with which they instill in students the need for a creative backbone. I learned the cultural value of fashion and its expressions, and the idea of a total and coherent universe to develop”, explains Julien Dossena, Creative Director of Rabanne, about a school which places its students on the front line when it comes to shaping the fashion of tomorrow. To discover the exceptional career paths of Cambre Mode[s] alumni, visit its Instagram profile.