Natacha Ramsay-Levi Steps Down As Creative Director Of Chloé

PARIS, FRANCE — The designer is leaving the Richemont-owned fashion house after nearly four years.

Natacha Ramsay-Levi, creative director of Chloé, who brought an edgy élan to the brand over a nearly four-year stint, is stepping down from her role at the Parisian luxury leather goods and apparel brand. A new creative director will be named later, the Richemont-owned label said in a statement Thursday.

Chloé revealed her departure in a brief press release, but did not name her successor, saying that would be done “in due course.”

In a brief statement, Ramsay-Levi thanked Chloé for the “great privilege” to express her creativity and to refocus the maison on its “commitment to intellectual freedom and to fundamental values that unite all of us.”

“I am equally thankful for their support in my decision to leave my position. I do so with a sense of hope for the development of this great brand and its renewed commitment to a meaningful and powerful femininity,” she said. “Over the last months of health, social and economic turmoil, I have thought about the changes I want to see in our industry and how to better align them with my own creative, intellectual and emotional values. It is this reflection that makes me consider my future differently and desire to pursue new opportunities.”

Her next move was not announced at the time of this post.

In the statement, Chloé chief executive officer Riccardo Bellini thanked Ramsay-Levi for making “a great contribution to Chloé, bringing at its center the intelligence and sense of mission that were defined by our founder. She is an important member of that proud tradition of women who have designed at Chloé. Her creative leadership and her vision have written a powerful and meaningful chapter in our story.”

Long a key associate of Nicolas Ghesquière, in 2017, D.M. Fashion Book reported that Chloé confirmed it had appointed Natacha Ramsay-Levi as creative director for ready-to-wear, leather goods and accessories, effective April 3 (see it here). She had joined from Louis Vuitton, where she had been creative director of women’s ready-to-wear since 2013.

She started her fashion career at Balenciaga in 2002 and rose through the design ranks to become Ghesquière’s top design deputy. When the Frenchman exited Balenciaga in 2013, she went on to consult for several brands, including Hermès and Acne Studios, before rejoining Ghesquière at Vuitton.

Ramsay-Levi succeeded Clare Waight Keller, who exited Chloé after six years, after showing the brand’s Fall/Winter 2017 collection in the City of Lights during Paris Fashion Week on March 2 (see it here).

Waight Keller, an alum of Pringle of Scotland and Gucci, joined Chloé in 2011 and was hired by CEO Geoffroy De La Bourdonnaye. She rejuvenated the house’s ready-to-wear and accessories business and winning largely positive reviews for her collections. Waight Keller followed in the footsteps of Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney and Phoebe Philo, who all designed for Chloé.

Ramsay-Levi‘s spring 2021 fashion show, held outdoors in early October in the shadow of the Palais de Tokyo, featured T-shirts and dresses bearing words by the late American artist Corita Kent. A religious sister, Kent won acclaim in the Sixties for her slogan-based works about poverty, racism and war, and her messages of peace and social justice.

Chloé was founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion.

Speculation as to who could be the next reative director of Chloé has centered on Gabriela Hearst, who won wide acclaim for her Paris Fashion Week debut last October, and whose signature brand is grounded in “honest luxury” and sustainability.

Other names sources floated as possible candidates include Ilaria Icardi, design director at Victoria Beckham, and Gabrielle Greiss, who has designed for Chloé and Sonia Rykiel.

Photos Credit: Natacha Ramsay-Levi’s Instagram