Few maisons assemble a constellation of stars quite like Chanel. Matthieu Blazy’s fall 2026 show, staged last week in Paris under the canopy of the Grand Palais, did not disappoint. Margot Robbie, Teyana Taylor, and Jennie shimmered in their double-C’s best, while Oprah made a rare Fashion Week transit. Two more bright stars also appeared in the Chanel firmament for the first time: astronaut Claudie Haigneré, the first French woman in space, and Surya Bonaly, the first woman to land a backflip on Olympic ice, both childhood heroes of Blazy’s.
Like Gabrielle Chanel, who favored moon and star motifs, and Karl Lagerfeld, who once built a rocket ship set, Blazy has long looked to the cosmos. His spring 2026 debut transformed the runway into a colorful Solar System. Years earlier, his 2007 graduate collection at La Cambre was inspired by Haigneré, who flew on the 1996 Soyuz TM-24 mission and later became the first European woman to live aboard the International Space Station in 2001. The structured silhouettes and Space Age embellishments caught the attention of judge Raf Simons, who hired Blazy, accelerating his meteoric rise.
Bonaly’s career traced a different arc. A three-time Olympian, Bonaly faced racism as one of the few Black athletes in her sport and was penalized at the 1998 Nagano Games for performing a backflip, a move that came to define her legacy and now bears her name. Now a skating coach in Minneapolis, she has seen her influence reflected in gold medalist Alysa Liu’s expressive programs and in Ilia Malinin’s performance of the Bonaly at the Milan–Cortina Olympic Games just last month.
How does it feel for you to know that your work has influenced the man behind one of the most powerful fashion houses in the world?
Claudie Haigneré: It’s both humbling and beautiful. If exploration and curiosity can inspire people beyond science, it shows that imagination and the desire to push boundaries are universal. That spirit exists in many fields: science , art, fashion, and the energy linked with exploration resonates far beyond the world of space.
Surya Bonaly: I feel proud and honored to have met Matthieu Blazy along with the Chanel team. It’s nice to see that my work impacts so many people from different fields, because figure skating is a mix of athletic skills, artistry, and a bit of fashion with our skating costumes.
What advice would you give to anyone trying to break the rules and do things their own way?
SB: Don’t copy anyone, find your own style. Try to better yourself each day, stay humble, and stay realistic at all times. Learn from others and keep a positive attitude.
Surya Bonaly, Oprah, and Kylie Minogue
Courtesy of Chanel
Claudie Haigneré, Surya Bonaly, and Oprah
Courtesy of Chanel
How would you describe your relationship to fashion and to Chanel in particular?
CB: My relationship with fashion is quite pragmatic and instinctive. Practicality is always present in the back of my mind. But I deeply admire the creativity and craftsmanship behind great fashion houses like Chanel. There is a timeless elegance that transcend trends.
SB: When I received an invitation from Chanel, I was over the moon. I couldn’t believe it. I have always loved fashion since I was a kid. My grandmother was a tailor and my mom made my skating dresses, so I grew up watching them sew. There was always a mannequin in the house, and my grandmother made her own tailored lady suits, just like Coco Chanel.
What are some of your wardrobe essentials?
CB: In space you learn to value simplicity and purpose. Interestingly, the most elegant fashion often follows the same principle. Pieces that allow me to move freely and feel comfortable wherever I am: a well-cut jacket, good trousers, shoes I can walk for hours. When something is well designed, it speaks for itself.
SB: I have always been attracted to unique style and glamorous dresses.
Was the Chanel presentation your first fashion show?
CB: Yes and I highly appreciated sharing this moment with my daughter. It is not only in space that one can experience moments of awe and wonder
SB: It was my first time. I never had the chance to be invited to nor attend any fashion shows in all these years.
What were some of the highlights of that experience? Any favorite looks?
CB: I was drawn to the structured silhouettes. There was something almost architectural about them—again, that clarity, balance, and sense of purpose. I would add that I’ve been attracted by the notion of metamorphosis that reveals all the facets of the free and committed contemporary woman. A bit like the transition from day to night at the speed of a space orbit.
SB: Everything was amazing: the location, the music, and the diversity of the 78 models. The show felt very inclusive and welcoming, especially since I grew up watching fashion shows on TV and mostly saw the same type of model: very slim and not very diverse. There weren’t many people of color.
What surprised you most about it?
CB: The precision of it all and the choreography behind it—and clearly, the entire team that makes the show perfect. It reminded me a little of a mission timeline. Everything perfectly orchestrated, every detail contributing to the overall story, in order that the whole experience unfolds seamlessly.