{ "id": "ep7hb7rgcy", "slug": "chloe-ep7hb7rgcy", "title": "Chloé", "updated": "2026-10-25", "topic_path": [ { "id": "culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture" }, { "id": "culture.daily", "label": "Food, customs, and everyday culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.daily" }, { "id": "culture.daily.craft", "label": "Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.daily.craft" }, { "id": "culture.daily.craft.textile_industry", "label": "Textile and clothing industry", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.daily.craft.textile_industry" }, { "id": "culture.daily.craft.textile_industry.brands_retail", "label": "Clothing brands and retail", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.daily.craft.textile_industry.brands_retail" }, { "id": "culture.daily.craft.textile_industry.brands_retail.streetwear_fashion_brands", "label": "Fashion and streetwear labels", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/topics/culture.daily.craft.textile_industry.brands_retail.streetwear_fashion_brands" } ], "geo": [ { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry.brands_retail", "label": "Western Europe · 1946 to 2000: Clothing brands and retail", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry.brands_retail", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946", "label": "Western Europe · 1946 to 2000", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily", "label": "Food, customs, and everyday culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily.craft", "label": "Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily.craft" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry", "label": "Textile and clothing industry", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry.brands_retail", "label": "Clothing brands and retail", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t1946.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry.brands_retail" } ] }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry", "label": "Western Europe · 2021 and later: Textile and clothing industry", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry", "path": [ { "id": "geo.weu", "label": "Western Europe", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021", "label": "Western Europe · 2021 and later", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture", "label": "Arts and culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.daily", "label": "Food, customs, and everyday culture", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.daily" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.daily.craft", "label": "Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.daily.craft" }, { "id": "geo.weu.t2021.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry", "label": "Textile and clothing industry", "api_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/api/v1/geo/geo.weu.t2021.culture.daily.craft.textile_industry" } ] } ], "excerpt": "Chloé (Maison Chloé) is a French luxury fashion house founded in Paris in 1952 by Gaby Aghion and Jacques Lenoir, a Richemont-owned pioneer of luxury ready-to-wear known for bohemian-chic femininity, the Paddington bag, B Corp certification, and creative director Chemena Kamali since 2023.", "snippet": "Chloé (Maison Chloé) is a French luxury fashion house founded in Paris in 1952 by Gaby Aghion and Jacques Lenoir, a Richemont-owned pioneer of luxury ready-to-wear known for bohemian-chic femininity, the Paddington bag, B Corp certification, and creative director Chemena Kamali since 2023.", "node": "culture.daily.craft.textile_industry.brands_retail.streetwear_fashion_brands", "markdown": "# Chloé\n\n**Chloé** is a French luxury fashion house founded in Paris in 1952 by Gaby Aghion and Jacques Lenoir, and one of the first fashion houses to sell luxury ready-to-wear as an alternative to made-to-order haute couture[1](https://www.richemont.com/media/1vrhp2wa/annual-report-2000.pdf). The house is known for soft, feminine, bohemian-chic design and is owned by the Swiss group [Richemont](https://www.edgepedia.org/richemont)[2](https://lex.dk/Chlo%C3%A9). Its creative director since October 2023 is the German designer Chemena Kamali[3](https://www.richemont.com/media/ke2kroab/richemont-fy24-annual-report-en.pdf).\n\n| Key fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Founded | 1952 in Paris, France, by Gaby Aghion and Jacques Lenoir[1](https://www.richemont.com/media/1vrhp2wa/annual-report-2000.pdf) |\n| Innovation | One of the first fashion houses to sell luxury ready-to-wear rather than only haute couture[1](https://www.richemont.com/media/1vrhp2wa/annual-report-2000.pdf) |\n| Signature designers | Karl Lagerfeld (from 1964, sole designer from 1974, left 1983, returned 1992), Stella McCartney (1997), Phoebe Philo (2001), Clare Waight Keller (2011), Gabriela Hearst (2020), Chemena Kamali (2023)[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe) |\n| Ownership | Richemont Group[2](https://lex.dk/Chlo%C3%A9) |\n| Leadership | CEO Laurent Malecaze (since December 2023); store network of 182[3](https://www.richemont.com/media/ke2kroab/richemont-fy24-annual-report-en.pdf) |\n| Certification | B Corp certified in October 2021; overall B Impact score of 97.3 against a median of 50.9 for ordinary businesses[5](https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/c-h-l-o-e/) |\n| Product divisions | Ready-To-Wear, Accessories, Fashion Accessories, Shoes, and Licenses[6](https://www.chloe.com/cloud/chloewp/uploads/2024/07/Chloe%CC%81_Mission_Report_2023.pdf) |\n\n## Founder and founding idea\n\nGaby Aghion (1921-2014) founded the house in Paris in 1952[2](https://lex.dk/Chlo%C3%A9). Richemont describes her as an Egyptian-born Parisian who wanted to liberate women's bodies from the stiffly formal fashion of the time through a luxury ready-to-wear offering[3](https://www.richemont.com/media/ke2kroab/richemont-fy24-annual-report-en.pdf). At a time when designer-dictated couture made to order for individual clients dominated [French fashion](https://www.edgepedia.org/french-fashion), she filled the space between haute couture and the casual clothes already available in stores, with feminine clothes in soft silhouettes that rejected the stiff shapes of the era[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe).\n\nIn 1952 she gave the label its name, borrowing that of a friend whose look she saw as quietly glamorous, and enlisted Jacques Lenoir to handle operations so that she could concentrate on the creative work.[7](https://ldj.com/blogs/blog/brief-history-of-chloe) Aghion's first fashion show took place at the Café de Flore, a Left Bank restaurant then frequented by intellectuals[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe). In 1959 she passed the reins to the French designer Gérard Pipart, beginning the house's long record as an incubator of talent[8](https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/chloe-gaby-aghion).\n\n## The Lagerfeld era\n\n[Karl Lagerfeld](https://www.edgepedia.org/karl-lagerfeld) joined the house as part of a design team in 1964[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe). In 1965, a year after his arrival, he designed the Tertulia dress for Spring-Summer 1966, its hand-painted art nouveau-inspired motifs setting the tone for the house's elegant take on bohemian chic[9](https://www.chloe.com/experience/us/history-post/2001/). In the 1970s his collections for Chloé became some of the most influential in the industry, helping popularize the \"Soft Look\" of voluminous layers in light, hyper-feminine fabrics[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe). From 1974 onwards he was Chloé's sole designer, and the decade was marked by his soft silk dresses, which celebrated a feminine, carefree romanticism with delicate lace inserts[9](https://www.chloe.com/experience/us/history-post/2001/).\n\nThe house itself expanded in this period. The first Chloé boutique opened in 1972 at the corner of rue du Bac and rue de Gribeauval in Paris's 7th arrondissement, and the first Chloé fragrance, a floral feminine scent, launched in April 1975 and became one of the most popular scents of its time[9](https://www.chloe.com/experience/us/history-post/2001/).\n\nLagerfeld left in 1983. In 1987 Martine Sitbon, a Moroccan-born designer, was named to the top job and injected a youthful energy during her five years at the label[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe). Lagerfeld then briefly returned in 1992[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe).\n\n## The succession of women designers\n\nIn 1997 the fresh-out-of-school [Stella McCartney](https://www.edgepedia.org/stella-mccartney) became Lagerfeld's successor and reimagined the house's feminine savoir faire for a new generation, mixing curve-emphasizing tailoring with frilly dresses and a cheeky sense of humor; her 2001 collection featured a t-shirt reading \"Keep Your Bananas Off My Melons\"[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe). When McCartney left to launch her own label in 2001, her design assistant [Phoebe Philo](https://www.edgepedia.org/phoebe-philo) succeeded her[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe) • [9](https://www.chloe.com/experience/us/history-post/2001/). Philo's debut collection for spring 2002 established babydoll dresses, cotton eyelet, and wooden platforms as signatures of the early 2000s, and in Spring 2005 the house released the [Paddington](https://www.edgepedia.org/paddington) bag, its first major leather-goods work[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe) • [9](https://www.chloe.com/experience/us/history-post/2001/).\n\nThe 2000s also broadened the business: accessories including bags, small leather goods, and shoes were launched, along with the sister line See by Chloé, a younger, lower-priced diffusion line sharing the main house's romantic codes[9](https://www.chloe.com/experience/us/history-post/2001/) • [10](https://luxurynews.fr/quelle-est-la-difference-entre-chloe-et-see-by-chloe/). Hannah MacGibbon became creative director in 2009, followed by Clare Waight Keller in 2011, Natacha Ramsay-Levi in 2017, and Gabriela Hearst in 2020[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe).\n\n## Sustainability and B Corp certification\n\nUnder Gabriela Hearst, whose debut fall 2021 collection used recycled cashmere, organic cotton, and reworked vintage bags, Chloé pursued a mission-driven transformation[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe). The house achieved B Corp certification in October 2021, a certification that evaluates governance, workforce, customer practices, environmental impact, and community interaction[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe) • [6](https://www.chloe.com/cloud/chloewp/uploads/2024/07/Chloe%CC%81_Mission_Report_2023.pdf). On the B Impact assessment Chloé earned an overall score of 97.3, against a median of 50.9 for ordinary businesses that complete the assessment; its 2021 score had been 85.2[5](https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/c-h-l-o-e/).\n\n## The Kamali era\n\nChemena Kamali was appointed creative director in October 2023, succeeding Hearst, and Laurent Malecaze arrived as Chief Executive Officer that December[3](https://www.richemont.com/media/ke2kroab/richemont-fy24-annual-report-en.pdf). Kamali had first interned at the maison in the early 2000s and later worked there as design director; her appointment aimed to re-root Chloé in its foundational values, putting Parisian chic and effortless, joyful femininity at the center of the collections[3](https://www.richemont.com/media/ke2kroab/richemont-fy24-annual-report-en.pdf) • [4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe). Her debut fall 2024 collection focused on easy-but-glam blouses, [thigh-high boots](https://www.edgepedia.org/thigh-high-boots), and denim, and ushered a boho sensibility back into the fashion conversation[4](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe). Her shows have drawn celebrity attention, with [Oprah Winfrey](https://www.edgepedia.org/oprah-winfrey) and [Gayle King](https://www.edgepedia.org/gayle-king) in the front row for her fall 2026 presentation at the Maison de l'UNESCO in Paris[11](https://apnews.com/article/b20ef129bc5b50e2fdd567ef26953680). For spring-summer 2027 she returned to the house's archives for an \"Obsession\" collection shown at the Paris Observatory[12](https://apnews.com/article/ba22415387a19188879dc7baac05dc25).\n\n## The brand today\n\nChloé is organized into five product divisions: Ready-To-Wear, Accessories, Fashion Accessories, Shoes, and Licenses, and its product lines span ready-to-wear, leather goods, shoes, fragrances, eyewear, jewelry, and childrenswear[6](https://www.chloe.com/cloud/chloewp/uploads/2024/07/Chloe%CC%81_Mission_Report_2023.pdf) • [13](https://www.richemont.com/our-maisons/chloe/). The house operates a store network of 182 under CEO Laurent Malecaze[3](https://www.richemont.com/media/ke2kroab/richemont-fy24-annual-report-en.pdf). Its recognizable bags include the Paddington, Marcie, Drew, Woody, and Banana lines, with the banana motif first used in collections in 2004[14](https://www.purseblog.com/bag-battles/this-or-that-chloe-banana-bag-or-saint-laurent-mombasa/). The house's signature themes are conventionally summarized as femininity, romanticism, lingerie-style, and pastel colors[1](https://www.richemont.com/media/1vrhp2wa/annual-report-2000.pdf).\n\n## References\n\n1. [Richemont Annual Report 2000, Chloé section](https://www.richemont.com/media/1vrhp2wa/annual-report-2000.pdf)\n2. [Chloé, Den Store Danske / Lex.dk](https://lex.dk/Chlo%C3%A9)\n3. [Richemont Annual Report and Accounts 2024, Chloé section](https://www.richemont.com/media/ke2kroab/richemont-fy24-annual-report-en.pdf)\n4. [Chloé brand page, Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/fashion-shows/designer/chloe)\n5. [CHLOE, Certified B Corporation, B Lab](https://www.bcorporation.net/en-us/find-a-b-corp/company/c-h-l-o-e/)\n6. [Chloé Mission Report 2023](https://www.chloe.com/cloud/chloewp/uploads/2024/07/Chloe%CC%81_Mission_Report_2023.pdf)\n7. [Chloe Brand History: Founder, Designers, Icon Bags, Luxe Du Jour](https://ldj.com/blogs/blog/brief-history-of-chloe)\n8. [Remembering Gaby Aghion, Cofounder of Chloé, Vogue](https://www.vogue.com/slideshow/chloe-gaby-aghion)\n9. [Maison Chloé: the French fashion brand history, Chloé Official Website](https://www.chloe.com/experience/us/history-post/2001/)\n10. [Quelle est la différence entre Chloé et See by Chloé?, Luxury News](https://luxurynews.fr/quelle-est-la-difference-entre-chloe-et-see-by-chloe/)\n11. [Oprah and Gayle King hobnob at Chloe's boho blouse-focused Paris fashion show, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/b20ef129bc5b50e2fdd567ef26953680)\n12. [At Paris Fashion Week, Chloé bets on stars, lingerie and lace in a tougher luxury market, AP News](https://apnews.com/article/ba22415387a19188879dc7baac05dc25)\n13. [Chloé, Our Maisons, Richemont](https://www.richemont.com/our-maisons/chloe/)\n14. [This Or That: Chloé Banana Bag Or Saint Laurent Mombasa, PurseBlog](https://www.purseblog.com/bag-battles/this-or-that-chloe-banana-bag-or-saint-laurent-mombasa/)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Food, customs, and everyday culture › Clothing, textiles, and domestic crafts › Textile and clothing industry › Clothing brands and retail › Fashion and streetwear labels*\n\n*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n", "same_as": [], "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-ep7hb7rgcy", "markdown_url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-ep7hb7rgcy.md", "license": { "name": "Edgepedia Community License 1.0", "url": "https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license", "summary": "Free with credit, commercial use included. AI training is open to everyone. For other uses, organizations over USD 100M in revenue or 100M monthly users license separately.", "spdx": "LicenseRef-Edgepedia-Community-1.0" }, "credit": "\"Chloé\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-ep7hb7rgcy. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "credit_md": "\"[Chloé](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-ep7hb7rgcy)\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), [https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-ep7hb7rgcy](https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-ep7hb7rgcy). [Edgepedia Community License 1.0](https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license).", "credit_html": "\"Chloé\", Edgepedia (EdgeChat), https://www.edgepedia.org/chloe-ep7hb7rgcy. Edgepedia Community License 1.0.", "speakable": "Chloé is a French luxury fashion house founded in Paris in 1952 by Gaby Aghion and Jacques Lenoir, a Richemont-owned pioneer of luxury ready-to-wear known for bohemian-chic femininity, the Paddington bag, B Corp certification, and creative director Chemena Kamali since 2023." }