Chloé

Chloé is a French fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion.

 The first house of luxury ready-to-wear

"Prior to Chloé's launch, luxury fashion houses had only ever produced Haute Couture (i.e. made-to-measure) clothing. This was fine for the few who could afford it, but it left everyone else in frequently poorly-made copies, supplied by the local seamstress.

Chloé's creator, Gaby Aghion, rejecting the stiff formality of 1950s fashion (and sensing a gap in the market), decided to create a line of off the rack, high quality, soft, body conscious clothes from fine fabrics, which she called 'luxury prêt-à-porter' and thus, the Prêt-à-Porter (Ready-To-Wear) market we know today, was born.

The couturiers quickly followed suit (the first being Givenchy, with their 1956 Ready-to-Wear collection; 'Givenchy University') and today, designer ready-to-wear heavily outweighs couture."

 The history

1952. Chloé is founded by Gaby Aghion, a Parisian of Egyptian origin. She and her partner, Jacques Lenoir, were among the first to become aware of the raising demand for collections that could merge the strict requirements of haute couture and those of ready-to-wear.

1956. The first collection is introduced at Le Café de Flore, one of their favorite cafes and the meeting place of artists in Paris.

The collection was designed by Gaby Aghion and made by a first assistant at Lelong.

Gaby Aghion and Jacques Lenoir start hiring young talented designers, who would eventually make a name of their own : Christiana Bailly, Michèle Rosier, Maxime de la Falaise, Graziella Fontana, Tan Giudicelli, Guy Paulin, Carlos Rodriguez.

1966. Karl Lagerfeld is the main designer and Chloé becomes one of the symbolic brands of the 70's. Among its customers : Jackie Kennedy, Brigitte Bardot, Maria Callas and Grace Kelly.

1971. The first Chloé boutique opens at the 3 rue Gribeauval in Paris.

1985. The company is acquired by the Richemont group.

80's. Chloé keeps working with promising and eventually famous artistic directors : Martine Sitbon in 1988, Karl Lagerfeld in 1992.

1997. Stella McCartney brings in a new direction, feminine, romantic and impertinent.

2001. Phoebe Philo adds a personal and sensual touch. Kirsten Dunst, Natalie Portman, and Lou Doillon become customers.

2002. Chloé launches a line of bags, small leather goods and shoes. The Paddington bag will become the first of the 'it-bags'.

2006. Paulo Melim Andersson brings in a staggered and modern style.

2008. After a close collaboration with the brand for the launch of the perfume fragrance, Hannah MacGibbon is named artistic director and introduces her first collection in March at the Spring-Summer 2009 runway.

 The places

Chloé is distributed through a network of boutiques in major capital cities (Paris, London, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Shanghai, New York, Dubai, Spain, Kuwait) and in major resorts (Marbella, Monaco). The products are also available in selected independent luxury boutiques and in some airports' duty-free areas.

Chloé headquarters are on avenue Percier in Paris. The regional offices are in New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Dubai.

 Internet

September 2007. Chloé was the first luxury brand to offer an iPhone-specific version of its website. In 2008, the brand broadcasted its fashion shows on the same-day they took place.

Like all fashion houses, Chloé is facing counterfeited products and maintain a list of authorized online retailers on its website.