Life after Chloe

Which designer will take over the limelight, as left empty by Chloe, the French fashion label that made floaty, feminine dressing trendy again? Melim Andersson, the former Marni designer, has been at Chloe's helm since October after Phoebe Philo's departure, however the label has already seen a change in direction, with Andersson's first collection showing more edgy styling, rather than the romantic quirkiness of Philo.

New York-based designer 3.1 by Phillip Lim is a likely contender to steal Chloe's limelight. His collection of floaty dresses and feminine detailing are the hit of Olympus Fashion Week and have the Statestide fashionistas craving for more.

Another American fashion house, Tibi, has steadily been gaining notoriety since its launch on Net-a-porter.com two seasons ago. The collection of downtown-chic dresses, delicate decoration and luxurious coats is seriously covetable for the Chloe fan. The fact that Smilovic designs all her own prints, means the copies don't make it to the high street as easily. Still, if your heart is set on Chloe, Andersson's first collection doesn't hit the stores until autumn, and there are plenty of stores still carrying the label.

15 April 2007

Chloé appoints new designer

It's official. Paolo Melim Andersson is Chloé's new creative director, confirming earlier news reports. The 34-year-old designer joins the firm from Italian design house Marni, where he worked for seven years. The Swedish national and Central St Martin 's graduate will start work immediately and has declined to give any interviews until he is settled. His first collection for the brand will debut next March.

“(Paolo's) mission is to find a new direction for the Chloé brand,” said Ralph Toledano, Chairman and chief executive of Chloé, in an interview with WWD. “He will be given, like his predecessor, a lot of freedom to find his own way.”

Toledano revealed that he had interviewed more than 30 candidates for the position of chief designer, before choosing Melim Andersson and admitted “the goal was to find someone talented, someone I believed in”. The appointment was received with great enthusiasm by international buyers, who believed Melim Andersson's fresh approach is exactly what the brand needs to maintain its top position. Meanwhile, Marni declined to comment on Melim Andersson's departure or a potential successor.

www.chloe.com
12 October 2006

Anderson to succeed Philo

For the past nine months the question of who would succeed Phoebe Philo at Chloé has kept the fashion industry abuzz. The time for speculation is at an end, if the rumour that Paolo Melin Anderson is take the design helm at the French fashion house is true. According to WWD, the Swedish Anderson – who is a senior designer at Marni – will join Chloé later in the year. A spokeswoman for Chloé declined to comment on “rumours”. The house is expected to make an announcement after its Paris show.

Although Philo resigned in January of this year, Chloé has continued to thrive. Sales grew almost 90 percent in the months from April to August with Philo's design team in place to develop the business. Under Philo's creative leadership Chloé more than doubled sales. Recently, parent company Compagnie Financiere Richemont cautioned that growth would slow due to tough comparables and predicted that the pace of growth for the full year 2006 would slacken. Anderson is expected to be a successful choice, with retailers and buyers likely to be pleased with his appointment. Marni, with its playful designs and feminine look, is a favourite among the fashion set, which stands Anderson in good stead.

www.chloe.com
28 September 2006

Chloé appoints accessories consultant

Fashion house Chloé has appointed Emma Hill to be its new accessories consultant. It may not be the announcement the fashion industry has been waiting for since designer Phoebe Philo quit the company in January. Her departure left many wondering who could fill her shoes. To date her design team has been manning the fort, but with accessories an important source of revenues for the house, this appointment is significant. Hill was previously vice president of adult accessories design for Gap Inc, where she was brought on board in 2002 by the then-senior vice president for adult product development and design, Pina Ferlisi. Both left Gap last October. Prior to that, she was a senior accessories designer at Marc Jacobs, working on both Collection and Marc by Marc Jacobs accessories. She has also worked for both Liz Claiborne and Calvin Klein. “We needed to reinforce our team given the rapid growth of accessories,” Chloé chairman and chief executive Ralph Toledano commented. According to WWD, Hill will be based in London and her first accessories collection will launch in time for fall 2007.

www.chloe.com
24 August 2006

Philo quits Chloe

Following months of rumours, Phoebe Philo's departure from fashion house Chloe has now become a fact, reports Women's Wear Daily. In today's announcement, she will be citing personal reasons, according to market sources. The designer had expressed her wish to spend more time with her young family, a fact that was becoming increasingly difficult to combine with the tough demands of her job.

Speculation over the creative designer's imminent departure from the luxury fashion label was first brought up by WWD in November.

A source told WWD that a successor has not yet been selected and the fall collection, which will be revealed in March, will be designed by the in-house team. The team - consisting of Sara Jowett, Natasha Lee, Valeska Duetsch, Adrian Appiolaza and Yvan Mispelaere - has already had experience designing in her stead, when Philo was on maternity leave.

The industry has begun speculating over her successor. Roland Mouret has been suggested as a candidate; however sources have said that there has been no contact between Mouret and Chloe chairman and chief executive Ralph Toledano.

Philo has been credited with the phenomenal success of the brand in recent years, especially of its iconic bags and shoes. Having joined the label in 1997 as part of Stella McCartney's design team, she succeeded her four years later when McCartney left to design her own collection. However, the demands of the job apparently became too much for Philo, even when the label moved its design studios to London to accommodate her.

Notwithstanding these struggles, in November the brand's parent company Richemont reported robust first-half profits. “This business has outperformed its peers, more than doubling sales in the six months under review,” said Richemont chairman Johann Rupert. “Chloe is developing its wholesale business and rolling out its international retail expansion programme.”

The brand is said to generate wholesale sales of $300 million, although Richemont last year said it would invest “tens of millions of euros” in Chloe in order to make it a billion-dollar brand.

Meanwhile, Chloe has opened a spate of boutiques worldwide in the past year, with the most recent opening being its second Paris store on the exclusive Avenue Montaigne.

www.chloe.com
5 January 2006

Philo to leave Chloé?

According to Women's Wear Daily speculation has been growing over the imminent departure of designer Phoebe Philo from fashion house Chloé. Philo is considered instrumental in raising the profile of the luxury lable with her great eye for feminine silhouette and detailing.

Philo is understood to want to spend more time with her young family, which is something her busy job as creative director does not easily allow.
According to sources close to the situation Philo is in talks about her future at Chloé. There is a chance that she will receive a new role within the firm, or that she will resign.

Chief executive Ralph Toledana refused to comment on the rumours, in compliance with the protocol of parent company Compagnie Financiere Richemont SA.

www.chloe.com
23 November 2005

Chloe eyewear deal with L'Amy

Luxury fashion label Chloe has signed a global licensing agreement with L'Amy Group, the French leading producer and distributor of eye- and sunglasses.

L'Amy will produce Chloe's first ophthalmic and sunglass collection which will be unveiled next spring at the Milanese professional trade show, Mido.

“We are very happy with the contract with L'Amy Group,” said Chloe International president, Ralph Toledano. “This agreement between our two companies guarantees the successful introduction and development of the Chloe eyewear range, and we are confident that this launch will have the same success as our other lines of products.”

Chloe already has licensing agreements with Italian partners Albisetti for swimwear, Neores for See by Chloe and Iris for footwear.

Meanwhile, L'Amy has eyewear licensing agreements with Lacoste, Nina Ricci and Chevignon. Through its ownership of Grasset et Associes, it also has licenses with brands such as Agnes B., Carolina Herrera, Paco Rabanne and Converse. Last year, L'Amy generated sales of €66 million.

www.chloe.com
17 October 2005

Chloe bites back

Copycats abound when the pros introduce their brilliant ideas to the world. This time one of these pros, however, is fighting back. Luxury French fashion house Chloé is taking Kookai to court over a bag it alleges the high street chain has copied and sold for a fraction of the price. Chloé has served a writ claiming that Kookai's “Whip Stitch Pocket Bag”, which retails for £35 is a copy of its extremely popular snakeskin Silverado bag, which carries a price tag of a whopping £1,086.

The Silverado has been a hit from the get-go. All 6,000 python bags were sold out within weeks of hitting the shop floors last fall. Celebrities like Sienna Miller were seen sporting the bag, only adding fuel to the fire and creating a real demand for a cheaper version on the high street. President and managing director of Chloé said in an interview: “ What is our industry about? It's about inventing and innovation and we cannot afford to have people stealing our innovation. Ethically, it's unacceptable. And it has clear commercial damages.”

The company is being assisted by intellectual property experts at parent company, Compagnie Financiere Richemont. Chloé is also said to be seeking an injunction to precent further sale of the Kookai bag. Chloé has been repeatedly copied in the past year. Its green chiffon goddess dress of last summer was copied by a large number of retailers. The label is not alone in its predicament. Everyone from Gucci to Prada to Balenciaga is being copied by cheap imitators, yet the burden of proof is on the plaintiff and the proof is hard to come by.

Paris-based Kookai, which is owned by retail conglomerate Vivarte and operates around 460 stores in 40 countries, could not be reached for comment. Meanwhile, Chloé continues to sell new versions of the Silverado bag and market it aggressively with new ad campaigns. After all, Toledano says that handbags account for about 50 percent of Chloé's sales.

www.chloe.com
27 July 2005

Chloe shines again

New mom Phoebe Philo showed another strong collection at top design house Chloe. Takes on her now-signature dresses, all gentility and flou, retained their essential cool despite often-complicated pastiches of layers, insets, pleats and frills. Most of the clothes were smartly detailed - lace trimmed up in velvet; a navy coat inset with satin panels - with not a clunker in sight.

At the end of the show, Philo's designers came out for a communal bow, and then walked to where she sat in the audience. She joined them as they retreated backstage, now officially back at work. Philo must be plenty proud, of her staff for performing, and herself, for having developed so clear an identity for Chloé in so short a time.

www.chloe.fr
6 March 2005

Chloe for infants?

Chloe designer Phoebe Philo may decide to include an infant's line to her repertoire. According to the designer's husband, Max Wigram, the pregnant Philo might feel inspired to design for infants once their baby is born in a few months' time. The proud father-to-be told reporters that he believed that children were just as important as grown-ups, and that he believed that his wife would make a very good mother.

www.chloe.fr
18 October 2004

Fashion Going Bananas

The barometer is rising for Chloe this summer and their sell-out banana print shirts are the hit of the season. Wear them, if you dare, with Chloe's high-waisted shorts and that gorgeous woven belt. These 70s-inspired scoop-neck three-quarter sleeves fruity tops will brighten any day. Alternatively, buy the cut-out bathing suit, also available in pineapple print, for that juicy beach look.

ww.chloe.fr
14 May 2004

Chloe opens London store

French fashion house Chloe is preparing to open its doors in London this week. The new flagship store is the first to be opened under Phoebe Philo's creative direction. The store is based on Sloane Street and will carry the entire Chloe range, including ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories with the entire lower level devoted to the collection of Chloe shoes.

“I want the boutique to be an airy and light space with a feeling of calm, intimate luxury” the company said, before getting together with architect Sophie Hicks. Hicks created a store that is modern and chic. Four large stereo speakers, clothed in black carpet, honey-coloured plywood, salmon marble table tops and cream marble flooring. The fitting rooms, are sheathed in black satin, with low ceilings and soft lighting to create a boudoir-like atmosphere that is bound to make the clothes look even better.

www.chloe.fr
December 4, 2002