Natacha Ramsay-Levi, the creative director of Chloe, is stepping down from her role at the French luxury house after four years.
In a statement released earlier this afternoon, Ramsay-Levi said that she was leaving with “a sense of hope for the development of this great brand and its renewed commitment to a meaningful and powerful femininity.”
Appointed to the prestigious role in 2016 after having worked as a key designer under Nicolas Ghesquiere at both Balenciaga and then Louis Vuitton – where she was creative director of women's ready-to-wear – the Parisian native brought her own edgier flavour to the house.
Determined to narrow the gap between the clothes we see on the catwalks and the outfits we want to wear in everyday life, Ramsay-Levi’s collections were less commercial than anything we had seen from the French brand before, and featured rich colours and prints – the materials for which were often the result of collaborations with various female artists.
Her spring/summer 2021 collection in particular was critically acclaimed for hitting the right note in one of the most difficult retail years in history. Displaying all the effortless boho elan for Chloe is known for, the show was filled with shirts with exaggerated, pointed collars, subtly flared trousers, long, languid maxi dresses and sarong dresses made in delicate layers of peach and salmon chiffon.
Ramsay-Levi, who is surely her own best muse, created a collection of clothes most women would be delighted to own. But while her ready-to-wear pieces were popular with critics and customers alike, it is notable that the quintessential Parisian designer never released an iconic Chloe handbag of the sort made by her predecessors.
“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,” she said in the same statement. “It is this reflection that makes me consider my future differently and desire to pursue new opportunities.”
Riccardo Bellini, who was named Chloe’s new CEO in October of last year, thanked her for her hard work and the vision she brought to the brand. “Natacha has made a great contribution to Chloe, 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 Chloe.”
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Advertise with NZME.Chloe, which is owned by Richemont, said a new creative director will be named in due course.
