Lucia Pieroni at Chanel

Lucia Pieroni at Chanel: an appointment that goes beyond mere makeup

Lucia Pieroni will join Chanel in September 2026 as Creative Makeup Director. Behind this appointment lies a broader objective than a simple change in aesthetic signature: to further integrate fashion, makeup, image, and product desire as Matthieu Blazy opens a new creative chapter for the House. Lucia Pieroni's appointment at Chanel should not be interpreted as a mere name change at the head of a beauty studio . In September 2026, the House officially announced her arrival as Creative Makeup Director .

CHANEL specifies that it will work with the Makeup Creation Studio, under the responsibility of Simona Cattaneo, President of Fragrance & Beauty. This organization therefore places makeup creation at the crossroads of several challenges: visual identity, product innovation, collection development, artistic expression, and the staging of beauty.

The appointment is all the more significant as Lucia Pieroni is already familiar with the aesthetic universe developed around Matthieu Blazy. She participated in the creation of the beauty looks associated with his first shows for the House.

This shift from backstage at the fashion show to a structuring creative role, however, changes the nature of her position. Designing a look for a few minutes on the catwalk and shaping the long-term makeup strategy of a luxury brand are two different things. In the first case, beauty complements a silhouette. In the second, it must become a language capable of evolving over several years, across multiple product lines and distribution channels.

Who is Lucia Pieroni?

Lucia Pieroni belongs to that generation of make-up artists whose work lies at the intersection of photography, fashion, color, light and cosmetic development.

Her experience extends far beyond backstage makeup application. Her career has led her to work with numerous photographers, magazines, and fashion houses, as well as to contribute to the creative design of products. This dual expertise is particularly strategic in the luxury makeup industry.

A creative director doesn't simply choose a color or texture because it looks appealing in an image. She must understand how that color translates to skin, how it appears under different lighting, how it can be photographed, filmed, and then marketed.

She also needs to think about its actual use.

A lipstick must be desirable in a campaign, but also pleasing when you open its case. A blush must work in a runway image while remaining understandable to a customer in front of a mirror. A foundation must be explainable in stores, presented in videos, and comparable online. It is precisely this interplay between artistic vision and product reality that makes Lucia Pieroni's role particularly interesting.

From Matthieu Blazy to Lucia Pieroni: Chanel builds a continuity between fashion and beauty

The timeline is essential to understanding the appointment. In October 2025, Matthieu Blazy presented his first collection for CHANEL, Spring/Summer 2026. The House described this collection as the opening of a new chapter.

The challenge then lies in making this new style resonate beyond clothing. At a house like Chanel, a fashion show doesn't just produce dresses, jackets, or accessories. It produces a complete vision: hair, lighting, casting, set design, music, gestures, and, of course, runway makeup.

The face becomes an extension of the silhouette. It is in this context that the collaboration between Matthieu Blazy and Lucia Pieroni takes on its full meaning. Makeup can extend the vocabulary of the collection without necessarily reproducing it literally.

A fluid and vibrant style rarely calls for a rigid, overly stylized beauty. Conversely, a graphic design can find an echo in the eyes, the mouth, or the texture of the skin.

The appointment of Pieroni therefore potentially allows CHANEL to create more continuity between fashion artistic direction and beauty creative direction.

This consistency has become strategic in contemporary luxury: customers no longer discover a collection solely at the fashion show. They see it simultaneously on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, media sites, campaigns, storefronts, and e-commerce platforms. A consistent image circulates more effectively.

Chanel makeup, a brand language in its own right

At CHANEL, makeup is not simply a commercial extension of couture. The House has long possessed a true beauty vocabulary made up of luminous complexions, contrasts, intense blacks, deep reds, iconic nail polishes, and a special relationship between sophistication and naturalness.

Color plays a central role. The example of Rouge Noir is particularly revealing. A shade born in the Chanel universe can simultaneously become a cultural icon, a fashion reference, and an instantly recognizable beauty product several decades later.

This ability to transform a color into a brand code represents a considerable asset. For Lucia Pieroni, the challenge will therefore probably not be to erase this heritage but to find a way to evolve it.

The central question could be formulated as follows: what should a Chanel face look like under the creative direction of Matthieu Blazy? The answer will not be limited to the catwalks.

It will gradually be able to influence seasonal collections, textures, color harmonies, campaign iconography and the way the House presents its products.

Skin, light, texture: why is Lucia Pieroni's style consistent with Chanel?

Contemporary beauty has gradually moved away from an ideal of completely uniform perfection. The dominant vocabulary is now that of living skin, transparency, a controlled glow, malleable textures, and a sophistication that must remain believable in close-up. This evolution is particularly well-suited to the world of luxury. The technical challenge lies in producing a result that appears natural while often relying on very high precision.

The lighting must be controlled without creating an artificial impression. The complexion must be enhanced without becoming opaque. The color must remain visible without overwhelming the face. This approach is directly reflected in CHANEL's current offerings.

The brand, for example, highlights ranges such as LES BEIGES, textures designed to illuminate or even out the complexion, multi-purpose balms, and various interpretations of lipstick. The official French makeup page also presents a very broad structure: complexion, eyes, lips, and nails. In other words, the Makeup Creative Director works across a sufficiently large area to develop a true visual language.

Why is Lucia Pieroni's appointment strategic for Chanel Beauty?

Luxury makeup possesses a unique economic characteristic: it combines desire, relative accessibility, and the ability to reinvent itself. Purchasing a haute couture piece or a Chanel bag represents a significant decision for most consumers.

A lipstick, a nail polish or a complexion product, on the other hand, allows access to the world of the House through a more accessible object. Makeup thus becomes a gateway to luxury.

But this relative accessibility is no longer enough. The beauty market is extraordinarily competitive. Established brands must now operate in an environment where international groups, niche brands, celebrity-created labels, digital players, and brands from social media coexist.

In this context, a heritage brand must produce more than just new products. It must generate desire .A strong creative direction can prevent a series of isolated launches and instead create a recognizable brand identity.

From backstage to product: the fashion show as a beauty laboratory

In contemporary fashion, backstage has become a media outlet. Just minutes before a show, images of makeup artists at work are already circulating on social media. Close-ups of faces sometimes reveal a texture or color better than photographs from the runway.

The beauty look from a Chanel runway show can thus become the first chapter of a product story. A subtly shimmering eyelid can introduce a new way of working with light. A lip can bring a shade back into focus. Almost bare skin can highlight an innovation in complexion.

The line between editorial creation and marketing then becomes much thinner. This does not mean that every runway look should become a product. On the contrary.

The value of creative direction lies precisely in its ability to distinguish what is purely visual and what has lasting potential.

Lipstick, complexion, eyes: which categories should we be looking at now?

The upcoming collections will gradually reveal Lucia Pieroni's choices. Several categories deserve particular attention.

The complexion

Complexion makeup is probably one of the most important areas. CHANEL already has several product lines including foundation, concealer, primers, powders, and highlighters.

The House emphasizes natural, luminous, or sophisticated results, as well as different textures: fluid, cream, gel, and powder. The creative challenge lies less in the accumulation of products than in defining a true Chanel skin signature.

The lips

Lipstick remains one of the objects most immediately associated with luxury. Small, tactile, refillable, or collectible depending on the range, it possesses an almost jewel-like quality. At Chanel, the lips also offer a particularly fertile ground for working with signature colors, shine, satin, matte, and varying pigment intensities.

The gaze

Eyeshadow, mascara, and eyeliner allow for the quick translation of an artistic direction. The eyes are also one of the most visible areas in runway photography and social media content. Therefore, they can become a natural meeting point between editorial and commercial makeup.

The nails

Nail polish holds a special historical significance in Chanel's vision of beauty. A single shade can become a cultural phenomenon in itself, as illustrated by Rouge Noir. The development of new colors or the reinterpretation of heritage shades will therefore remain an area to watch.

Rouge Noir evokes the power of Chanel's signature colors

To understand what a creative makeup direction represents at Chanel, one only needs to look at the House's recent and heritage history. Certain colors transcend the status of mere products. They become symbols.

Rouge Noir is the most obvious example: an extremely dark burgundy that has gradually acquired the status of a Chanel color.

Luxe Daily has also dedicated an analysis to how the Rouge Noir 2026 collection reactivates this iconic shade within the Maison's beauty universe.

For Lucia Pieroni, this heritage represents both an asset and a constraint. Creating at Chanel necessarily means engaging with symbols that the public already recognizes. The goal is not to wipe the slate clean, but to make these codes desirable once again.

This appointment should be viewed within the broader context of Chanel's 2026 vision

Lucia Pieroni's arrival comes at a particularly busy strategic time for the House. Matthieu Blazy is gradually building his creative territory in fashion. At the same time, Chanel continues to strengthen its beauty, fragrance, and customer experience ecosystem.

The House has considerable brand power: in 2026 it occupies a central place in the collective imagination of luxury, between fashion, beauty, haute couture, jewelry and perfumery.

To further explore this context, Luxe Daily also analyzed Chanel's position in the Lyst Index 2026, which provides a better understanding of the relationship between desirability, online search, and the House's cultural visibility.

Makeup must therefore function within an environment where every communication contributes to the overall perception of Chanel. A lipstick is never entirely independent of a fashion show, a campaign, or a fragrance. It is precisely this coherence that distinguishes a luxury house from a mere cosmetics brand.

Makeup, fragrance and skincare: three gateways into the world of Chanel

Beauty at Chanel is based on several complementary worlds. Fragrance creates an olfactory memory and a particularly lasting emotional connection. Skincare plays a more prominent role in the ritual and the pursuit of performance.

Makeup , these three categories shouldn't operate in silos. Consumers constantly move between them.

A customer drawn to a lipstick might discover a fragrance. A serum user might then search for the foundation that completes her routine. A campaign can combine several categories within a single visual universe.

Luxe Daily also analyzes this strategy through perfume, notably in its analysis of Bleu de Chanel and the choice of Jacob Elordi, which shows how a beauty franchise can become a true brand asset.

Retail: creative direction also happens at the counter

The power of makeup also lies in its demonstrative aspect. Unlike a perfume, which is primarily discovered through smell, a makeup product can be tried, compared, and applied in front of the client. The beauty consultant therefore plays a crucial role. She must be able to translate the creative vision into simple actions: choosing a shade, explaining a finish, combining different textures, or recreating a look.

An overly conceptual art direction that cannot be translated into a retail environment loses some of its value. Conversely, an immediately recognizable aesthetic facilitates communication and enhances the brand experience.

At Chanel, this dimension is already very visible through the makeup appointments and personalized services offered by the House.

Digital and e-commerce: makeup must now exist on screen

The second strategic area is digital. A foundation can no longer simply look beautiful in a store. It must be understandable on a screen. The shade must be legible. The finish must be photographable. The texture must be demonstrated in a video. CHANEL is already developing this approach through CHANEL Touch, its virtual try-on tools, and its demonstration content.

The Maison allows users to virtually try on different lipsticks, eyeshadows, eyeliners, and nail polishes. This feature perfectly illustrates the transformation of luxury beauty. The physical and digital experiences are no longer separate worlds. Creative direction must work in both.

Beauty becomes a permanent storytelling tool

In an environment dominated by short-form content, makeup has a considerable advantage: it's immediately visual. A complexion transformation, a red lip, or a stroke of eyeliner can be understood without explanation. Beauty thus becomes a content format. This reality explains why professionals capable of simultaneously considering photography, fashion, skin, and product are becoming increasingly important. The work of a Creative Makeup Director is therefore no longer solely about palettes and pigments. It also influences how the brand is perceived.

Can Lucia Pieroni create a new Chanel beauty signature?

It is still too early to assign Lucia Pieroni a definitive future aesthetic. Her appointment was only officially announced in September 2026, and a true creative direction is measured across several collections. We will need to observe upcoming launches, runway looks, campaigns, and new textures to identify the recurring themes that will emerge. Several elements, however, can already be monitored:

• the way in which the skin will be worked;
• the evolution of Chanel's signature colors ;
• the relationship between makeup and Matthieu Blazy's collections;
• the development of new textures;
• the emphasis placed on the naturalness and uniqueness of faces;
• the link between podium creation and commercial range.

The real test will be recognition. A creative direction becomes strong when a look, a mouth, or a complexion can be associated with a brand even before the logo appears.

Why is Chanel strengthening its makeup creation now?

The appointment comes at a time when the House is redefining several dimensions of its creative expression. This timing is not insignificant. When a new artistic direction takes hold in fashion, the question of aligning with other visual territories quickly becomes central. Makeup occupies an ideal position to ensure this continuity. It is more flexible than a fragrance, quicker to renew than a fashion line, and extremely powerful in terms of image.

A makeup collection can respond to a season while gradually enriching a brand's heritage. For Chanel, Lucia Pieroni can thus become one of the figures tasked with translating the House's new chapter in the field of beauty.

A matter of consistency rather than rupture

It would be an oversimplification, however, to present this appointment as the harbinger of a dramatic break. Major fashion houses operate more through evolution than by disappearing. Chanel already possesses an extraordinarily well-established beauty identity.

The challenge for Lucia Pieroni will therefore probably be to create a dialogue between heritage and contemporary style, exactly as Matthieu Blazy does in fashion.

Success will depend on the ability to preserve what makes Chanel instantly recognizable while simultaneously creating new objects of desire. A nuance, a texture, or a gesture can sometimes be enough. In the luxury sector, the most lasting transformations are rarely the most dramatic.

What this appointment says about Chanel's strategy

Lucia Pieroni's appointment ultimately sheds light on three fundamental trends. The first is the growing convergence of fashion and beauty. The second is the need to build creative identities capable of existing simultaneously in stores, on the catwalk, and in a digital environment. The third concerns the value of makeup itself.

Long considered an accessibility category in the world of luxury, it is now becoming a real driver of image, recruitment and loyalty.

For Chanel, the arrival of a Makeup Creative Director comes at a time when every detail of the face can contribute to the House's overall narrative. Lucia Pieroni is not simply tasked with creating beautiful colors. She is entering a system where texture, light, product, runway show, and desire must now tell the same story.

Also read on Luxe Daily

• Chanel No. 1 in the Lyst Index 2026 : an analysis of the desirability of the House and its visibility in the fashion ecosystem.
• Chanel Rouge Noir: 2026 makeup collection : how a heritage shade becomes a lever of desire once again.
• Bleu de Chanel and Jacob Elordi : perfume as a brand platform and storytelling tool.
• Chanel: news and collections : to follow all content dedicated to the House.
• Luxury beauty : perfumes, skincare, makeup and innovations from leading brands.

3 official French sources

1. CHANEL – official announcement of the appointment of Lucia Pieroni : the House confirms her arrival in September 2026 as Creative Makeup Director, alongside the Makeup Creation Studio and under the responsibility of Simona Cattaneo.
2. CHANEL France – Makeup : official presentation of the collections, product categories, new products and makeup services of the House.
3. Federation of Haute Couture and Fashion – CHANEL Haute Couture Autumn-Winter 2026 : official presentation of the collection by Matthieu Blazy and his role as Artistic Director of Fashion Activities.

Article expanded and updated on September 26, 2026.