"I always wanted Chloe to have a positive spirit and make people happy," said the brand's founder, Frenchwoman Gaby Aghion. The fashion house's current creative director, Gabriela Hearst, offers customers conscious luxury. Her goal is to create beautiful products that are meaningful to society and the planet.
French Elle describes Chloé's designs in three words: free, carefree, glamorous.
In this magazine, in September 1960 they featured Embrun, Gaby Aghion's favourite dress. It was the brand's first major success, the jersey shirt dress broke with the 1950s silhouette by winning with the simplicity of the cut and the softness of the fabric. "It was very modern to create a dress like the T-shirt" the Chloé founder said later.
Her fashion DNA: fluidity, movement, the pinkish beige colour of egyptian sand, silk crepe, muslin, poplin, lace, English embroidery.
The definition of the Chloé woman
With the arrival of Gaby Aghion in Paris after the war fashion is driven by a wind of freedom. Originally from Alexandria, Egypt, disappointed with Parisian women confined to their haute couture salons, she launched her luxury ready-to-wear brand in 1952. Associated since 1953 with businessman Jacques Lenoir, a friend of artists on the left coast of the Seine, she organised her first fashion show in 1956 over breakfast at the Café de Flore in Paris. She was supported by Hélène Lazareff, founder of Elle.
Designers in the following years included: Gérard Pipart, Maxime de la Falaise, Christiane Bailly, Michèle Rosier, Graziella Fontana, Tan Giudicelli and Karl Lagerfeld. Since the late 1960s Karl Lagerfeld has made a name for himself with his highly acclaimed Art Deco-inspired models. He signed an exclusive contract with the house in 1975. At the time Chloé's style was defined by a delicate femininity marked by dresses with a cape collar revealing the naked back, inlaid lace and silk crepe. The designs charmed Jackie Kennedy and Brigitte Bardot.
The first Chloé shop opened in 1972 at 50 rue du Bac in Paris. Karl Lagerfeld then enforces a sharp silhouette and adopts a striking humour in his themed collections: musician (summer 1983) or mechanic and plumber (winter of the same year). His collaboration with Chloé was cancelled in the summer of 1984.
The triumphs of Karl Lagerfeld and Stella McCartney
Guy Paulin, his successor, retained the same inspirations with a postal collection in the summer of 1985. In the same year, the house of Chloé was bought by Dunhill Holdings, which became the Richemont Group. From 1987 to 1992 Martine Sitbon, known for the feminine and delicate face of fashion, held the position of artistic director. Karl Lagerfeld returned to the house from 1992 to 1997 with his designs on the catwalks presented by Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell, including gowns in hand-painted ivory-coloured tulle.
Stella McCartney then took control over of the house, bringing a breath of vintage, rock music and sexy air. When she left in 2001, her friend and assistant Phoebe Philo replaced her until 2006, giving the label its sensual and rigorous feel. Her handbags (such as Paddington) sold like hotcakes. The young See by Chloé line was born. Sofia Coppola, Kirsten Dunst and Lou Doillon became fans of the brand. The next creative directors were Paulo Melim Andresson, Hannah McGibbon and Clare Waight Keller.
Gabriela Hearst and her values
Gabriela Hearst joined the team in December 2020 as creative director for ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories.
The Uruguayan-born designer launched her own atelier in autumn 2015, honouring her family heritage, after taking over her father's ranch in her home country. She wanted a brand that doesn't rush, that follows its own rhythm: a brand that creates with care and attention to detail, that values tradition rather than trend and that gives meaning to each piece.
Gabriela creates strong and modern collections without losing her ethics and the values she holds dear. She pays attention to the origin of the materials and also to those who produce them. She offers conscious luxury, which means honest luxury. In 2018 she joined the board of Save the Children. In September 2019, she presented the first carbon-neutral fashion show in New York as part of her spring-summer 2020 collection.
"The legacy of our founder, Gaby Aghion, and her resolutely progressive vision of femininity have always inspired our commitment to improving the status of women, supporting gender equality and promoting inclusion. We know that we must take immediate action to protect the environment while there is still time. That is why we have already committed to changing what needs to be changed and finding alternatives whenever possible." - write the brand owners in their manifesto. - "We are aware that these changes will take time and may take different forms, but we are committed and ready to work together for a more fair and sustainable future."
They declare that 1% of staff time is dedicated to gender equality initiatives and the creation of social impact funds, 90% of the materials used in the collections have a proven reduced environmental impact and 30% of orders are made under fair trade principles.
Chloé for women:
