Chloé Goes Back to its Roots with ‘The Beginning’ Collection for Pre-Fall/Fall 2024

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chloé

After Chemena Kamali debuted her first collection as the newly appointed Creative Director for Chloé this past February in Paris, the Fall Collection is now being made public. With a well-deserved standing ovation, Kamali’s debut collection is setting out to be a pivotal one for the House, pulling inspiration and focusing on the defining moments from the brand’s past like Karl Lagerfeld’s legendary 1970s collections and truly capturing the spirit of the Chloé woman which is synonymous with how Kamali views and presents herself proving the new role to be a practically perfect fit for both Kamali and Chloé. 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chloé

Embracing the House’s spirits, codes and history, the latest collection which is titled “The Beginning,” is just that, a return to the brand’s iconic roots – in Kamali’s words specifically it’s “A re-rooting. A new beginning.” The creative director effortlessly pulls together the brand’s sense of carefreeness, ease, and romance that has built up and ran through the brand’s DNA since Lagerfeld’s run in the 70s, 80s, and 90s joined with Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, and Hannah McGibbon’s direction in the 2000s. The brand has always had a strong female perspective, which is what has helped to build the brand’s sincerity and authenticity with its wearers. “It does not transform you, but lets you be yourself and embrace life,” says Kamali. She approaches this sentiment by offering silhouettes that play with fluidity and structure, all of them full of movement and that sense of “un-doneness,” that we know and love.

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chloé

Built on both timeless and seasonal statements along with the Parisian spirit that the brand is consistently charged with, this collection focuses on core elements like the authentic and functional outerwear like capes that link back to the brand’s roots, their signature and infamous blouses (that are now making a comeback everywhere thanks to Kamali), the sartorial tailoring, iconic denim, and the knitwear. The latest collection has also ushered in an era of new icons: the accessories prove to be standouts in themselves from the 70s boots, clogs, and wedges to the bags charged with emotional quality returning back to naturally tanned leather with a lived in patina that emphasizes its tiny imperfections and gives it that lived-in essence that only enhances over time. Jewelry nods to the House’s ironic iconography of the pineapple, the horse and the banana. This re-rooting also highlights Chloé’s iconic and distinctive library of fabrics, from silk mousseline, georgette, and silk jacquards to cotton gabardine, from lace and guipure to buttery leather. Its sophisticated yet bohemian color palette explores the infinite shades of tan and beige, from Gaby Aghion’s beloved rosé  to cognac, nuances of white, and black. 

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Chloé

If the campaign looks familiar that’s because it is. Kamali decided to play off of Lagerfeld’s iconic Chloé advertising shoot from the ‘80s showcasing the models posing off a balcony in Paris, a true and authentic return to the House’s spirit. But Kamali is also in tune with the brand’s modernity and how it ties together seamlessly with its past. “There is something relatable and refreshing about the Chloé woman that for me feels relevant, now, and forever. Her beat, her natural beauty, her radiance, and instinctive energy; her being in constant evolution most of all: dressing is self discovery through the life changes we experience. As women we evolve, and Chloé evolves with us: re-starting is not about redoing the past but bringing that spirit into the now. I hope to anticipate how women want to feel today. I want to make Chloé women feel like themselves and touch them with Chloé’s spirit and vitality. It’s about capturing all our opposites and contradictions in a wardrobe full of joy, intuition, and freedom,” shares Kamali.