Chloe has not formally named a successor to designer Phoebe Philo, but it has tapped a familiar name to help with the brand's important accessories collection.
Emma Hill is joining the fashion house as an accessories consultant. Hill was Gap Inc.'s vice president of adult accessories design. She was hired at Gap in 2002 by then-senior vice president for adult product development and design Pina Ferlisi. At Gap, she combed the brand's archives and developed looks that were iconic to the brand.
Hill and Ferlisi left the retailer last October. Before Gap, Hill was a senior designer for accessories at Marc Jacobs, where she handled both Collection and Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories. She also had design stints at Liz Claiborne and Calvin Klein.
Chloé chairman and chief executive Ralph Toledano said of the hire: "We needed to reinforce our team given the rapid growth of accessories."
Under Philo, the French house's accessories businesses took off, with coveted handbag designs such as the Silverado, the Edith and the Paddington. Philo left the company in January to focus on her family.
Hill could not be reached for comment, but according to sources, she will be based in London, and the first accessories collection with her on board will be for fall 2007.
