Dive Brief:
- Chemena Kamali is the new creative director of Chloé, Compagnie Financière Richemont, the brand’s owner, said Monday.
- The Germany-born Kamali worked with Phoebe Philo during her tenure as creative director at Chloé and graduated from Central Saint Martin’s in 2007. Kamali returned to the French fashion house in 2013 as design director under Clare Waight Keller. Since 2016, Kamali has been women’s ready-to-wear design director for Anthony Vaccarello at Kering-owned Saint Laurent.
- Earlier this year, Gabriela Hearst announced her departure as Chloé’s creative director after taking on the position in 2020. Hearst’s final show for the brand was the spring-summer 2024 collection, which she showed during Paris Fashion Week in September.
Dive Insight:
The carousel of creative directors has been spinning rapidly in 2023, with comings and goings at virtually every major holding company.
With the appointment of Kamali, who has a long history with Chloé, Richemont hopes to establish a long-term vision for the label originally launched in 1952.
“Chloé is an important and much-loved part of Richemont,” Philippe Fortunato, CEO of the fashion and accessories division at Richemont, said in the release. “Chemena Kamali’s return is an exciting new chapter for the Maison given her passion for the brand’s heritage and her strong connection to Chloé.”
Kamali is one of the few women creative directors in luxury right now after Seán McGirr took over from Sarah Burton at Kering-owned Alexander McQueen last week.
“My heart has always been Chloé’s,” Kamali said in the release. “It has been since I stepped through its doors more than 20 years ago. Returning feels natural and very personal. I am extremely honoured to be taking on this role and to be building on the vision that Gaby Aghion and Karl Lagerfeld defined early in the Maison’s history. I hope to capture the emotional connection and spirit of Chloé for today. I am very grateful to Riccardo Bellini, Philippe Fortunato and Johann Rupert for this opportunity and their trust.”
Chloé was the first luxury house to achieve B-Corp certification, which it got in 2021.
“I am proud to welcome Chemena Kamali to Chloé,” Riccardo Bellini, president and CEO of Chloé, said in the release. “Her extraordinary creative talent, extensive experience and unique connection with the brand’s legacy and values make her a natural choice for the Maison. Chemena’s vision, inspired by her love for the brand, will truly celebrate Chloé’s unique DNA. Chemena is both the Creative Director of Chloé and the embodiment of the Chloé spirit. I am excited to see her vision come to life.”
Kamali will present her initial pre-collection for the house in Paris in January 2024 and a full fall-winter 2024 collection during Paris Fashion Week in February 2024.
Richemont, which also owns fashion and accessories brands Montblanc, Alaïa, Delvaux and Dunhill, and jewelry houses Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Buccellati, reported a 14% sales growth for Q1 in July. That included a 24% sales increase for jewelry, a 10% boost for watches, and a 6% jump for its “other” category, which represents fashion and accessories.
