Phoebe Philo - Life After Chloe - *Update* Creative Director for Celine

[Pastry]

oh, brother..this is so emotional for me.
as i signed in, i saw this thread was updated and i was all.."no, no it can't be!" it was


kudos to you guys for being so optimistic, but i can't...

 

[twin star]

excerpts from wwd

Published: Friday, January 06, 2006
Philo to Focus on Family
By Miles Socha

PARIS - Phoebe Philo is trading fashion fame for motherhood - at least for now.

As expected, the designer on Thursday confirmed her exit from Chloé, saying, "My decision to resign is for personal reasons, especially to spend more time with my new baby in the coming months."

In December 2004, Philo gave birth to Maya, the first child for her and her husband, London art dealer Max Wigram. Philo declined to comment beyond a written statement, in which she thanked the house for "giving me the opportunity to develop as a designer."

For his part, Ralph Toledano, chairman and chief executive officer of Chloé, also limited his comments to the release, saying he respects Philo's "choice to focus on her family at this point in her life, and [we] wish her all the best."

While family issues were preeminent, the demands and stress of helming a brand embarking on an ambitious expansion drive exacted a personal toll on Philo and also played a role in her choice, sources said.

"She's very talented, but she can't handle big companies," said one industry source. "She's too fragile. My guess is that she will come back [to the fashion industry] after a while, but on a much smaller scale."

While a search for Philo's successor continues, her team will take the creative reins for Paris Fashion Week in March, as it did during her maternity leave. "Our design team has successfully worked independently on previous collections and I totally trust their creative ability to produce the upcoming Chloé collection," Toledano said in the statement.

A graduate of London's Central Saint Martins, Philo worked with Stella McCartney at McCartney's own label in London. She moved to Chloé in 1997 when McCartney was named the label's designer. She succeeded her four years later when McCartney set out to build her own brand with Gucci Group.

She quickly became one of fashion's rising stars, acclaimed for a style that deftly blends masculine elements like trousers and such feminine fare as frilly blouses. During her tenure, Chloé's look has been widely emulated by fast-fashion chains and the company's leather goods business has been explosive thanks to hit styles like the Paddington and Silverado handbags.

The behind-the-scenes turmoil has not disrupted the success of Chloé which continues to open retail stores in Asia, Europe and North America. Market sources estimated the brand generates wholesale volume of $300 million, and Richemont chairman Johann Rupert singled it out as a star performer as the Swiss luxury goods group reported strong sales and earnings in its first half.

 

[masquerade]

wow. everyone has left labels recently it seems.

i really think that roland mouret could do well. his last collection wasnt so opposite the chloe philosophy. i think he could adapt

 

[tricotineacetat]

It´s tricky to bring in a new head designer, after all, with a new one, the design will look completely different and thus, they can probably forget about the Paddington or Silverado handbags, being part of the old designer´s work. They would have to start again from the scratch, establishing a new identity, handbag lines etc. etc.

Yvan Mispelaere would totally deserve taking over as head of design, I already liked some of what he designed for his own mainline - and since he is already part of the design team there´s no doubting that he could do well keeping up with what Chloé had been known for as well.

I would probably say, keep the design team at reign, it´s been a refreshing view to not only see one person bowing after the show.

 

[Lena]

Yvan Mispelaere would totally deserve taking over as head of design, I already liked some of what he designed for his own mainline - and since he is already part of the design team there´s no doubting that he could do well keeping up with what Chloé had been known for as well.

I would probably say, keep the design team at reign, it´s been a refreshing view to not only see one person bowing after the show.

i absolutely agree tricotine

 

[csmboy]

I heard that a designer called Jean-Paul Knott got the job at Chloe - but no announcement has been made yet.

 

[Deleted member 7575]

i absolutely agree tricotine

I was looking at his past work and I think that perhaps some of Chloe's most recent shining moments did not derive from ms. philo.

 

[Lena]

I heard that a designer called Jean-Paul Knott got the job at Chloe - but no announcement has been made yet.

he could be interesting to see taking the lead at chloe.. even though i find him a bit too 'austere' for this label..

 

[Spacemiu]

Jean Paul Knott could be good for Chloe, he has alot of masclin/feminin touches.

I have only seen a little of Yvan Mispelaere's own clothes but I really like them.

 

[ysl82]

I Love Phoebe Philo She Is The Best Designer

 

[Tinuviel]

*cries* she's a fantastic designer and defined chloe. i hope her successor won't head in a totally different direction. i do respect her for stepping down to devote more time to her family even when she's at the top of her game. we can only hope that eventually she'll start her own label. *sob*

 

[edsbgrl]

I think she and Tom Ford should get together. Now that would be an awesome line.

 

[Baizilla]

No... that would be a disaster

 

[Bella Plum]

I loved everything Phoebe did for Chloe- she def. did a better job than Stella, but I'm glad to see her making her family a priority. Mouret could make an interesting change to Chloe ( I loved his last collection so much).

 

[dizzytacks]

its a conspiracy, chloe had such a crap s/s 2006 season that in order for the compay to make any money out of it, it has to read as "collectors items", thus raking in the dollars, and with her "leave" all the women in the world will be rushing to get silverados or paddingtons, choe, business genius at work... i love it!!!

 

[Acid]

^ the s/s collection is indeed abysmal
i thought i must have been at the wrong show when i saw the clothes, there were practically no items i could see anybody buying,
however she has been wanting to be based in london for a long time but the house still insist on her going to paris for 2 days a week so it came to a dead end.

 

[j´adore dior]

Jean Paul Knott could be good for Chloe, he has alot of masclin/feminin touches.

I have only seen a little of Yvan Mispelaere's own clothes but I really like them.

where can i see yvan´s own clothes?, the only pieces i´ve seen from him are those couture collections he did for Louis Feráud some years ago who where pretty interesting too.... i hope chloé takes the right designer, i was wondering what about sophia kokosalaki, she could do good at chloé too i think.

 

[j´adore dior]

^ the s/s collection is indeed abysmal
i thought i must have been at the wrong show when i saw the clothes, there were practically no items i could see anybody buying,
however she has been wanting to be based in london for a long time but the house still insist on her going to paris for 2 days a week so it came to a dead end.

i think the reason for that is that she was tyred of being copied by zara and h&m constantly, so she did those bit more elaborated designs but probably the easier to wear garments were on the showroom.

 

[Amo_Armani]

Word on the street is that Chloe will go the way of Hackett and Lancel, Richemont is seriously considering the sale of Chloe.

 

[Pastry]

It´s tricky to bring in a new head designer, after all, with a new one, the design will look completely different and thus, they can probably forget about the Paddington or Silverado handbags, being part of the old designer´s work. They would have to start again from the scratch, establishing a new identity, handbag lines etc. etc.

Yvan Mispelaere would totally deserve taking over as head of design, I already liked some of what he designed for his own mainline - and since he is already part of the design team there´s no doubting that he could do well keeping up with what Chloé had been known for as well.

I would probably say, keep the design team at reign, it´s been a refreshing view to not only see one person bowing after the show.

I was so emotional i didn't realize they could keep the creative team. Please let it be so, because Mouret for Chloe will be a disaster.