The rumors are true. As of yesterday, it was officially confirmed that Gabriela Hearst is leaving her role as creative director of Chloé. During her time at Chloé, her focus was on sustainability. The company achieved B Corp status in October 2021, introduced a social impact measurement tool in 2022, and launched a resale program using digital IDs for improved transparency in 2023.
Hearst’s resale initiative Chloé Vertical in collaboration with Vestiaire Collective, launched in February 2023. The program is limited to select items for now and committed to rolling out a digital ID on all products by 2025. However, this initiative will only be available for new products, so those of us with Chloé from past seasons are out of luck.
Hearst’s contribution to the Chloé handbag pantheon was reintroducing the iconic Edith handbag at the Fall/ Winter 2021 runway show in March 2021, marking her first collection as creative director for the luxury house. The Edith handbag, originally launched by Chloé in 2005, holds special significance for Hearst, who says the carry-all was the first luxury handbag she owned 16 years ago. Hearst put a sustainable spin on the design, updating the Edith in recycled cashmere or with recycled jacquard, and it is offered as a mini version, a tote, and a doctor’s bag.
The Edith bag recalls a notable period in the house’s history when Chloé pumped out some of its most covetable bags. Then-designer Phoebe Philo had achieved astronomical success when it came to bags, most memorably via a millennial IT bag – the padlock-laden Chloé Paddington bag.
Hearst has much to be proud of in transforming the brand into a mission-driven company, but I would have liked to have seen more from her in the handbag space. That said, the show is not over yet. Hearst’s final collection for Chloé will be Spring/Summer 2024, presented during Paris Fashion Week on 28 September. Perhaps Hearst will close out her tenure at Chloé with a bang with a reissue of the Paddington?
Very interesting