Chloé
Founded by Gaby Aghion and Jacques Lanoir in 1952
Egyptian-born Parisienne Gaby Aghion possessed a more bohemian feel to fashion than what the formal feminine style of the 50s offered. With this spirit, she started to design luxury clothes. Together with her business partner Jacques Lenoir, they showed their first collection at Café de Flore in Paris.
With a steady success, the pair hired new, younger designers to give fresh ideas for new collections.
At the time, Haute Couture was the only style luxury French fashion houses were offering. As not everyone was able to afford the couture designs, Aghion realised women wanted luxury for every day wear. With the company having built up a group of youthful Left Bank designers, they began to define the Parisian ready-to-wear style.
Aghion and Lenoir hired Karl Lagerfeld in 1966 as the house’s head designer. Propelled by Lagerfeld, Chloé became an iconic fashion brand during the 1970s. Its first boutique opened in 1971 in Paris and saw Jackie Kennedy, Brigitte Bardot and Grace Kelly all visit, in search of the luxurious ready-to-wear designs.
Once again young talented designers were hired during the 1980s. Martine Sitbon helped keep the collection fresh and revitalised. In 1985 the house was bought by the Richemont Group and this gave the house a global prominence.
The house continued successfully but was becoming dated. In 1997 Stella McCartney was hired and reinvented Chloé. McCartney’s romantic, streetwise style propelled the house to a new level of success.
In 2001 Phoebe Philo replaced McCartney, adding a simple sexuality to the luxurious label. The same year ‘See by Chloé’ was launched being a younger, more affordable brand. This was followed by Paulo Melim Andersson in 2006, who bought a modern, intelligent style.
Hannah Mac Gibbon was named Creative Director in 2008, pushing the brand sophisticated feminine style while preserving its traditions. In 2011 Clare Waight Keller was named new Creative Director.
Fifty years after Gaby Aghion founded the company her romantic, luxurious style still lives on. With the house having a triumphant rebirth over the last two decades, the modern femininity has maintained a quiet confidence. Fresh, flirtatious styles are infused with a soft spirit and hint of the street.
In 2012, Chloé initiated its sponsorship of the prestigious Prix Chloé at the Festival de Mode de Hyères, showcasing its commitment to supporting emerging talent in the fashion industry. In 2017, the esteemed Clare Waight Keller stepped down as creative director of Chloé, making way for the talented Natacha Ramsay-Levi to take the helm. In a significant development in 2020, Natacha Ramsay-Levi announced her departure from Chloé, and the renowned Gabriela Hearst was unveiled as her successor.
Looking ahead to 2023, Chloé embarks on an exciting collaboration with Atelier Jolie, the newly launched fashion brand by the renowned Angelina Jolie. Founded in 1952 by the visionary Gaby Aghion, Chloé has captivated fashion enthusiasts with its exquisite, ready-to-wear creations that strike the perfect balance between wearability and beauty. Throughout the 1970s, the brand’s bohemian and feminine aesthetic captured the hearts of style icons like Grace Kelly, Brigitte Bardot, and Jackie O Kennedy, solidifying Chloé’s place as a beloved luxury French fashion house.
Chloé Biography
