Natacha Ramsay-Levi Leaving Chloé, *Update* Gabriela Hearst Announced as Creative Director

[Ed..]

Gabriela who?

 

[donyan]

I just had look at her last collection, judging from this its not a bad match. It'll be less forced than Natasha, more down to earth and ultimately commercial but .. can she do' La Parisienne' something which is one hugely important factor in the popularity of Chloe? Can she do that light airiness that has been missing at Chloe?

 

[THD96]

Well I hope for the sake of the Chloé suits and Ms. Hearst (and countess copycats and protégé) that Phoebe won't comeback in the next 2 years cause that would be like a slap in the face to all those people.

 

[MulletProof]

Don't know her, but Chloé makes some of the ugliest bags/blouses/dresses these days, when they used to have the prettiest so.. maybe it'll work out.. who even knows/cares [about fashion in general], all autopilot..

 

[tatouejeremie]

chloé has been forgettable for years so i doubt she can ruin much
i'm more offended that someone who's only talent is probably her love for shopping and also i doubt she actually 'designs' anything for her own brand is given this platform

 

[Benn98]

Omg, Gabriela didn't even try to disguise the fact that some PR firm wrote that caption.

Lola, over the weekend Evening Standard, already published a piece stating that Natacha's designs were too intellectual and not commercial enough and that she had no it-bag during her tenure and how that was such a bad thing because Chloe survives mainly on accessories. I thought it to be quite a damning piece. Who would want to hire her now, especially in this current economic climate? Poiret?
No doubt this pandemic has made brands more cautious with their hires, meaning ditch the graduates in favour of those who run their own brands or at the very least have proven some sort of commercial success. Gabriela, of course, has taken her brand into the Chinese market earlier this year and already have it-bags over there so I'm 200% certain that ended up counting in her favour because Richemont made Natacha do a resort line to court the Chinese and the reception was lukewarm at best. Their approach was all wrong. She supposedly targeted the maximalist, logo-obsessed type of Chinese shopper which is completely at odds with what Chloe is about. Instead of going in and saying 'this is my it-bag. It's tasteful, meaning it doesn't look like an accordion, so you won't look like a clown wearing it. Don't agree? Keep it moving'. It may sound arrogant, but a brand like Chloe must have a point of view. I'm convinced that this fumbled approach may have been the turning point for Richemont. They will now capitalise on Chloe's association with Gabriela.

 

[MissMagAddict]

Rosebud.

 

[Lola701]

Omg, Gabriela didn't even try to disguise the fact that some PR firm wrote that caption.

Lola, over the weekend Evening Standard, already published a piece stating that Natacha's designs were too intellectual and not commercial enough and that she had no it-bag during her tenure and how that was such a bad thing because Chloe survives mainly on accessories. I thought it to be quite a damning piece. Who would want to hire her now, especially in this current economic climate? Poiret?
No doubt this pandemic has made brands more cautious with their hires, meaning ditch the graduates in favour of those who run their own brands or at the very least have proven some sort of commercial success. Gabriela, of course, has taken her brand into the Chinese market earlier this year and already have it-bags over there so I'm 200% certain that ended up counting in her favour because Richemont made Natacha do a resort line to court the Chinese and the reception was lukewarm at best. Their approach was all wrong. She supposedly targeted the maximalist, logo-obsessed type of Chinese shopper which is completely at odds with what Chloe is about. Instead of going in and saying 'this is my it-bag. It's tasteful, meaning it doesn't look like an accordion, so you won't look like a clown wearing it. Don't agree? Keep it moving'. It may sound arrogant, but a brand like Chloe must have a point of view. I'm convinced that this fumbled approach may have been the turning point for Richemont. They will now capitalise on Chloe's association with Gabriela.

You are 100% right but at the same time, the job of the suits is to support a vision. Choosing someone from Ghesquiere’s camp means wanting a more edgy approach but also that juice from the Vuitton success.

The problem I have with suits is exactly the following. They wants the talents and they wants them to do everything. I repeat it: The job of the executives is to support the vision of the creatives.

I totally agree about the bags. She had one good bag but they released it too later. The bags with the big C were tragic. Other than that, Chloé still served good boots and all the categories in RTW were covered: blouses, coats and flowy dresses.

I admit I love her Chloé because the houses finally moved out from that same very english aesthetic.

When I talk about executives supporting a vision, look at how LVMH is pushing Celine . You can’t say that they aren’t doing everything to make it work. Chloé’s PR is very late.

One thing is sure, Gabriela first job will be to deliver a It-Bag. And I think she can cover all the categories in RTW...
I’m much more confused in what it might be in terms of creative vision.

When it comes to Natacha, I can see her going back with Nicolas or even Julien or even go to Acne Studios. Chloé is not necessary her sensibility (she said that when she took the job) but I think she proved that she can be edgy and so strong commercial pieces.

The more I think, the more I would want her at Acne Studios!

Can she do' La Parisienne' something which is one hugely important factor in the popularity of Chloe? Can she do that light airiness that has been missing at Chloe?

But is Chloé still about « La Parisienne »? I think that overtime Isabel Marant, YSL, Vauthier, Sandro, Maje...etc have become the epitome of La Parisienne with Marant being the queen of the aesthetic.

That sort of Birkin-Romanticism was well interpreted by Clare. It was maybe boring but it was less cliché and more modern at times. Chloé needs to reinvent itself.

I find it weird that a house like Chloé does not have a permanent collection with a dedicated communication attached to it. All the designers created strong pieces. And the aesthetic language of Chloé is well known: blouses, Jeans, flowy dresses, brown bags...All of that with a 70’s flair.

But I agree with you, Chloé needs to be effortless, something Natacha did not always nailed.

 

[liberty33r1b]

I‘m actually excited to see what she will do at Chloe, I don‘t think it‘s a bad fit

 

[90sFan]

Chloe...?!??!?! Hearst person!?!? Who cares?!?!?! Who buys that stuff anyway?

 

[GERGIN]

Chloe...?!??!?! Hearst person!?!? Who cares?!?!?! Who buys that stuff anyway?

Judging by the brands physical retail and e-commerce presence, quite a lot actually! But clearly you're not one of them .

 

[HeatherAnne]

GTFO, what a joke, never thought a French fashion house would pick some socialite. Her sustainable line is boring as hell. Christ, even Georgina Chapman has more creativity. Fashion truly is dead.

 

[HeatherAnne]

Up next Amanda Hearst to Chanel

truly disgusted

 

[jeanclaude]

She will be chewed up; and then spitted out after a few years (in the best case scenario).

This is how the industry works nowadays...and then, the cycle of disposability will begin again...

 

[dodencebt]

I'm actually excited to see what she presents. We all know designers these days get sacked after a few years anyway, so let's give her a chance. If anything, her clothes are impeccable, easy to wear, and she's pushing sustainability boundaries with her namesake brand.

 

[perhydrol]

GTFO, what a joke, never thought a French fashion house would pick some socialite. Her sustainable line is boring as hell. Christ, even Georgina Chapman has more creativity. Fashion truly is dead.

Well, she has some creativity since she designed the accordion bag* and the other one that is basically a music box...


*It says a lot that now the press is trying to make it a thing and the next it bag. Not only is the design ridiculous, but also completely impractical. Isn't it alarming for a brand that is trying to create attractive accessories?

 

[Sai]

gabriella hearst is one the worst pretend designers out there today.. wtf were they thinking?
her shows go over like a lead balloon. frumpy, joyless, so heavy. no skill at any part of the job.
but hey if trump can be president - gabriela can be a designer..

 

[TheoG]

These cycles are so ridiculous, as if these houses are conducive for designers to really showcase their POV there already being pushed out the door. Wish her luck.

 

[kasper!]

Maybe they should considering switch to the ghost-designer-team way. No more creative directors, just a team.

Well, she has some creativity since she designed the accordion bag* and the other one that is basically a music box...


*It says a lot that now the press is trying to make it a thing and the next it bag. Not only is the design ridiculous, but also completely impractical. Isn't it alarming for a brand that is trying to create attractive accessories?

She just copied a vintage style... source: FIT & her own brand's Instagram

 

[JohannesL]

I like Natacha's Chloe, to be honest, her Chole was quite chic compared to CWK‘s and really took the brand to another level. Since Gabriela Hearst is not even a good NYFW designer, well, it never ceases to amaze me how she managed to get the Chole job. To some degree, this paring is more appalling than Alexander Wang x Balenciaga!