Gabriela Hearst Exiting Chloé

AFTER THREE YEARS AS CREATIVE DIRECTOR, GABRIELA HEARST IS EXITING CHLOÈ.

PARIS, FRANCE — Gabriela Hearst is to exit the Parisian luxury leather goods and apparel brand after a significant three-year stint.

During her time there, the brand made quantum leaps as a sustainable, purpose-led company – and solid revenue gains.

Her last show for the Richemont-owned brand will be the spring 2024 collection, which will be shown on September 28 during Paris Fashion Week this fall.

According to WWD, sources described the separation as amicable, with Hearst wishing to focus on her fast-growing signature brand and other projects.

No successor has been named, though Chloé has hired Chemena Kamali, a former Saint Laurent design director for women’s ready-to-wear, to lead a parallel design studio at the label. Chloé declined to comment on whether Kamali would become its next creative director.

A collaboration between Chloé and actress Angelina Jolie’s new fashion brand, Atelier Jolie, is set to go ahead as planned.

Hearst arrived at Chloé with almost 20 years’ experience as an entrepreneur, starting with her first New York City fashion business Candela, a bohemian contemporary brand launched in 2004, and then her namesake luxury house in 2015, based on the principles of timelessness, quality and sustainability.

She took home the the American Womenswear Designer of the Year prize at the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2020.

Today, the Paris-based fashion house issued a one-page statement opn Hearst‘s exit.

“I would like to congratulate Gabriela and her team for the vision and devotion they have brought to Chloé, for laying strong foundations for future growth and for being an inspirational maison for sustainability in fashion,” commented Philippe Fortunato, chief executive officer of Richemont Fashion & Accessories, adding, “I am extremely proud of what Richemont, Gabriela Hearst and the Chloé team have accomplished together in the last three years.”

Chloé president and CEO Riccardo Bellini said Hearst “brought great energy and a dynamic creative vision to her role at Chloé, contributing to a period of significant progress for the business, and writing a powerful new chapter in the story of our maison.”

“I would like to warmly thank her for bringing so much of herself to this mission — her passion, drive and values, and for her unwavering commitment to supporting the maison’s meaningful progression in shaping a more responsible future, true to the legacy of our founder,” he continued.

“It has been the greatest privilege to share my creative vision and to add my voice to the story of Chloé, a remarkable maison that I have always loved so dearly,” Hearst said in the statement. “I am grateful to have been part of the incredible team laying strong foundations for a purpose-driven future for fashion, and I am so proud of the positive change we have collectively achieved in developing a business and design perspective that puts our people and our environment first.”

She thanked Bellini, Fortunato, Richemont CEO Jérôme Lambert and Richemont chairman Johann Rupert “for allowing me to enjoy this extraordinary period of learning and growth.”

She went on to note that very few fashion houses “have such a history of strong female leaders who have each made their unique contribution to the maison, under the inspirational legacy of its founder Gaby Aghion. I represent a standard for quality that has no space for compromise and I believe in honoring the interconnectivity that we all belong to. I feel empowered and excited about the work done at Chloé and moreover, to leave a clear message that a woman can do it all and have fun while at it.”

Photos Credit: Ibuki via Gabriela Hearst’s Instagram 

Source: WWD