The history of Chloé bags
The Chloé fashion house was launched in Paris in 1952 par Gaby Aghion. Its creator responded to the aspirations of a new generati
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Chloé bags
The Chloé fashion house was launched in Paris in 1952 par Gaby Aghion. Its creator responded to the aspirations of a new generation of women and found a middle way between made-to-measure and haute couture: clothes sold ‘ready-to-wear’.
In 1956, in association with Jacques Lenoir, she designed her first Chloé collection with soft comfortable fabrics and lines that matched the youth and audacity of a time of renewal for fashion and the decorative arts. The design of this first collection was entrusted to one of the senior assistants to couturier, Lucien Lelong. Gérard Pipart was then employed as a designer at Chloé but in 1962 he was replaced by several young talents: Christiane Bailly, Michèle Rosier, Maxime de la Falaise, Graziella Fontana, Tan Giudicelli, Guy Paulin, Carlos Rodriguez and Karl Lagerfeld. By 1966 only the head of design remained at the company.
Chloé became one of key brands of the seventies with numerous celebrity clients, including Grace Kelly, Maria Callas and Brigitte Bardot. Diaphanous blouses and long skirts became Chloé’s signature pieces. In 1973 the first Chloé perfume was launched along with several licences.
In the eighties the brand was taken over by the Dunhill Holdings luxury group, which became the Richemont group, and Karl Lagerfeld left. Gaby Aghion retired two years after the sale.
In 1997 the artistic direction of Chloé was joined by Stella Mc Cartney who put the brand back in the spotlight. The young, 25 year old designer breathed new creativity and a sexy, romantic, rock and roll energy into the brand. In 2001 she handed over to her friend and assistant, Phœbe Philo, who continued and developed a delicate style, marked by purity and sensuality. In 2002 a range of Chloé handbags, leather goods and shoes was launched and created a real stir, helping to create the It-Bag phenomenon. Phœbe Philo left Chloé in 2006 and was replaced by Paulo Melim Andersson, a Parisian designer with an off-beat style. In 2008 Hannah MacGibbon favoured a return to a more sober style. Clare Waight Keller took over from her in 2011 – having worked at Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein – and returned to the charm of romantic simplicity beloved by Chloé.