Another woman designer at the helm: six things to know about new Chloé creative director Natacha Ramsay-Levi
Having worked with Louis Vuitton creative director Nicolas Ghesquière for 15 years, Natacha Ramsay-Levi will make French label known for its languid style more edgy and urban
1. Natacha Ramsay-Levi is a French high fashion insider, having worked under Nicolas Ghesquière at Louis Vuitton as women’s ready-to-wear creative director since 2013. Ghesquière is artistic director of the Vuitton brand, and the two worked together for more than a decade when they were both at Balenciaga.
A post shared by Natacha Ramsay-Levi (@nramsaylevi) on Mar 10, 2017 at 1:18am PST
2. She’s young, cool, edgy and not very girly – just look at that black and white portrait in double denims. And although there were some rumours swirling that Ramsay-Levi was tapped for the role, many thought her style was too edgy, hard and urban for the classic bohemian stylings of the Chloé aesthetic.
A post shared by Chloé (@chloe) on Mar 8, 2017 at 2:59am PST
3. Ramsay-Levi is the sixth woman designer to lead the brand, started in 1953 by Gaby Aghion, who died in 2014 but who followed the brand closely up until the end. This makes Chloé one of fashion’s most female-centric labels. The other women to have headed the brand were Martine Sitbon, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, Hannah McGibbon and Clare Waight Keller, who Ramsay-Levi replaces.
A post shared by Chloé (@chloe) on Mar 6, 2017 at 3:50am PST
4. She’s obviously pleased about taking the helm of the French brand. “I am very proud to join a house founded by a woman to dress women. I want to create fashion that enhances the personality of the woman who wears it, fashion that creates a character and an attitude, without ever imposing a ‘look’,” the designer says.
5. She has a son with Olivier Zahm, publisher of Purple Magazine. Their relationship broke up in 2010, an event that Zahm chose to blog publicly about. They got back together afterwards, when their son was born, but it’s unclear whether they are still together.
A post shared by Chloé (@chloe) on Mar 2, 2017 at 5:43am PST
6. Her first collection comes soon – she will make her debut at Paris Fashion Week in September, where the Chloé show will inevitably be one of the hottest tickets of the season. The label known for its languid, romantic may get the vigorous injection of edge it needs at the hands of Ramsay-Levi.
