Chemena Kamali, the 41 year-old German-born designer, has been announced as creative director of Chloé, the brand has announced (October 9).
The news comes 10 days after the final collection of her predecessor, Gabriela Hearst, and following rumours Kamali had been running a parallel studio in preparation for the takeover. She will show her first pre-collection for the Richemont-owned house in Paris, January 2024.
The appointment marks Kamali’s return to the maison, which first began under Phoebe Philo’s leadership (2001 – 2006), before she joined again in 2013 as design director to Clare Waight Keller. Since 2016, she was the women’s ready-to-wear design director at Saint Laurent, led by Anthony Vaccarello. Kamali originally studied at London’s Central Saint Martins, graduating from the MA Fashion course in 2007.
The news confirms a burgeoning trend in the industry, which has seen luxury conglomerates bet on designers with smaller public profiles, but who are important forces behind the scenes. Examples of this have included the recent appointments of Matthieu Blazy at Bottega Veneta, Sabato De Sarno at Gucci, and Seán McGirr at Alexander McQueen. It also comes after intensified industry questioning around the deficit of female designers in leading positions at luxury houses, as McGirr’s appointment this month made Kering’s stable of creative directors all white men.
Kamali’s designing of clothes for women, by women, will set her apart from many other top-tier houses. So much has been key to the brand’s DNA since its inception in 1952, when Gaby Aghion, an Egyptian-born Parisian, set out to liberate the female body with her ready-to-wear designs. After Karl Lagerfeld led Chloé from 1966 to 1997, it has been solely headed up by women, including Stella McCartney, Philo, Hannah MacGibbon, Waight Keller, Natacha Ramsay-Levi, and Hearst.
“My heart has always been Chloé’s. It has been since I stepped through its doors more than 20 years ago. Returning feels natural and very personal,” Kamali said in a statement. “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.”
Kamali takes the reins after Hearst’s three-year stint, which saw her concentrate the brand’s efforts on sustainability. In October 2021, Chloé became the first European luxury maison to receive B Corp status. Despite finding success with key items, including the Nama trainer and logo tote bags, Hearst struggled to make bestsellers of higher level products. Other best-selling Chloé items include the Lauren scalloped leather ballet flats, Marcie saddle handbags, and the flapped, hardwear-heavy Faye handbag. Richemont do not release individual houses’ revenues, but CEO Riccardo Bellini did tell WWD that revenues at the maison had grown 60 per cent under Hearst’s leadership in February this year.
“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,” Bellini said in a statement.
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