Bruno Pavlovsky, president of fashion and president of Chanel SAS, put the success of Friday’s announcement that Chanel has acquired the heritage shirtmaker Charvet, squarely on the shoulders of Chanel artistic director Matthieu Blazy and the almost immediate rapport that Blazy kindled with siblings Anne-Marie and Jean-Claude Colban, who today run Charvet, bought by their father in the 1960s.

Chanel, Charvet and a Grand Love Affair

There’s major romance in this Chanel buys Charvet business story, spring-boarded by the intense love affair between Coco Chanel and Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel. As a stand-alone human relationship story between the couple, the facts are cinematic.

Chanel, the great luxury brand being rebirthed by Matthieu Blazy, CEO Leena Nair, Bruno Pavlovsky and the entire Chanel family of artisans and shopkeepers, is built on a poignant love story that is symbolized by Charvet shirts.

A Story of the World’s Finest Shirts

AOC never knew about Coco Chanel’s relationship with Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel, until two years ago. I was so touched by their extraordinary bond that ended in a tragic car crash on December 22,1919 in the south of France, that AOC’s and my own psychological and emotional relationship with Chanel changed overnight.

It’s not that I was so judgmental about her, as details of Chanel’s life came into the light over the years. Indifference seems to be a better descriptor; and of course, a refusal to commend her behavior living in Vichy France during the Nazi occupation and also moving against the Wertheimer family, unsuccessfully using ‘Aryanization’ laws to seize control of Parfums Chanel.

Just now, a new detail of Coco Chanel’s life emerged that also has great impact on AOC.

Aristocratic Heartbreak

Knowing that Capel was married to British aristocrat Lady Diana Wyndham, in line with societal expectations. it’s only in this moment that AOC learns that the marriage took place in 1918, a decade after the lovers Chanel and Capel were introduced by Chanel’s first wealthy patron, Étienne Balsan.

Once again, Anne felt the pain that Coco Chanel experienced as the day she dreaded — the day Capel would marry — became a reality.

Coco Chanel was acutely aware of the rigid social classes of the era. Because she was born into poverty and had a background as a cabaret singer, the designer knew an English aristocrat like Capel would never be permitted by high society to marry her.

After the marriage, Capel was as devoted as ever to Coco Chanel, assuring her that he would not abandon her. The high-flying polo player, businessman, military strategist, and co-creator of Chanel remained true to his word.

As a young widow, Lady Wyndham knew about her husband’s love for Coco Chanel and his lack of intention to end their affair. Imagine what she felt, becoming a widow a second time, when her husband’s Rolls-Royce burst a tire on a road many of us know in the south of France.

If Charvet looks to create its own stories as part of the Chanel-Capel interlocking lives manifested through Charvet’s important history as the first shirtmaker of international repute, celebrating Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel as an accomplished man in every aspect is a story worth telling. AOC always goes down the rabbit hole in our research, asking very probing questions along the way.

Capel’s chauffeur was in the car with him in the accident and survived the crash. There’s no universal agreement, 100+ years later, as to who was actually driving the the vehicle at high speed when the tire exploded.

Capel’s wife did not contest Chanel’s significant inheritance resulting from Capel’s tragic accident on his way to see his mistress before Christmas. Nor did Capel’s new wife comment negatively on Chanel’s grief, as she expressed it publicly.

I can’t think of another luxury fashion designer whose life story is this complex, with new to me details continuing to emerge as AOC asks questions. Just imagine the stories the new Chanel designer has at his fingertips. To share a little secret with you, I call him the New Humanism Mycelium Man.

Empath Creator Matthieu Blazy Was Also Moved

Matthieu Blazy made a similar discovery in 2025, when he moved to his new position at Chanel. Like me, Blazy was deeply moved by the Arthur ‘Boy’ Capel story. Armed with the knowledge that Coco Chanel bought shirts for her lover Boy Capel at Charvet — and probably borrowed them regularly — Blazy decided to introduce himself to the famous shirtmaker, then owned by siblings Anne-Marie and Jean-Claude Colban.

The former owners are both in their 60s--70s and sought to secure the futures of the 40 or so people working at its store on Place Vendôme in Paris, and another 60 at its production workshop in Saint-Gaultier in central France.

Blazy’s three styles of Charvet shirts made a big splash in his October 2025 Chanel debut.

Intrigued by the Chanel-Capel-Charvet story almost as much as Blazy’s pairing of the shirts with flamboyant skirts, Chanel customers wanted more.

“Chanel is a house primarily aimed at women, though we have a growing male clientele, while Charvet is a house primarily aimed at men, though it’s drawing more and more women. It’s part of our legend and storytelling. We thought it made sense for the future of Charvet to be secured by Chanel,” Pavlovsky told WWD.

Chanel has also acquired Charvet’s six-floor building on Place Vendôme, as a prime piece of Parisian real estate. Coco Chanel, lived at the Place Vendôme located Ritz Hotel for more than three decades.

Matthieu Blazy’s cruise 2027 collection for Chanel featured a fourth shirt made with Charvet. The production of the Charvet shirts now in Chanel collections utilizes not only Charvet shirtmakers but others in a second Chanel facility.

“It hasn’t been super easy, because if you want to maintain high standards, you can’t just place an order for thousands of pieces,” Pavlovsky explained about sourcing Charvet shirts for Chanel. “Charvet supervised and approved every step of production. They didn’t have the capacity to do it all on their own, so we worked with another manufacturer and they brought in their know-how.”