Chanel Mania Shows the Luxury Industry Still Has a Pulse

At Chanel Ltd.’s London Bond Street store on Friday, shoppers queued for an hour to enter and then endured a further lengthy wait to see the shoes and bags from designer Matthieu Blazy’s first collection. It was a repeat of the scenes in Paris during Fashion Week earlier this month, when editors, influencers and the brand’s most important clients all scrambled for the hottest items.

The frenzy underlines that the luxury industry — variously described over the past couple of years as suffering from fatigue, “greedflation” and a vibe shift away from top-end goods — can still ignite excitement and, most importantly, generate sales, particularly of lucrative handbags. But only if the launch is handled carefully, the products are enticing and even the wealthy feel they are getting value for money.