Who is Chemena Kamali and how did she become Chloe’s creative director? Let’s chat.
The photo is a property of Vogue magazine.
I should start by saying that I am writing this blog post out of pure interest and joy looking into the success of the fashion house, Chloe. I’ve never been a real Chloe girl, however growing up, I definitely wanted the Pistol Lock bag in the greige color, I watched the Olsens in their boho chic era, and saw Sienna Miller rocking a full Chloe look head to toe in every fashion magazine… which leads me to say that Chloe is a brand with a very distinctive design code. Though that may have shifted under certain designers, for the most part Chloe represents a certain Parisian woman, we know what bag she carries, and what style, and fabrics she wears.
Early in October 2023, we heard the big news, Chemena Kamali was appointed creative director of the French fashion house Chloe. But who was Chemena Kamali? In the musical chairs of the time, she wasn’t a former (sort of well known) creative director of a fashion house who was now entering another maison. Kamali, like many designers, gave her Vogue interview as the new creative director of a major fashion house in October 2024. All eyes were on Chloe and we were interested in getting to know who Kamali was.
Who is Chemena Kamali? The new creative director at Chloe – let’s talk about Chemena Kamali.
WHY TALK ABOUT CHEMENA KAMALI NOW?
In October 2024’s issue of British Vogue, Chemena Kamali, like many new creative directors of a fashion house gave an interview. This was several months following her debut collection at Chloe, which was very well received. But not many people knew Kamali. She wasn’t a famous creative director who had simply jumped fashion houses as part of the ongoing musical chairs of the season. I was so interested in who Chemena Kamali was. What I was seeing was the rebirth of Chloe and Boho chic, but it felt different, almost necessary. For those who, quiet luxury was just a trend (cough, cough, not me) it was high time for something different. While the collection was an instant success, it’s hard to dismiss the fact that the timing was perfect. It was the perfect person at the perfect time delivering something great that people needed.
WHO IS CHEMENA KAMALI?
In this interview, we learn that Kamali’s father, Tony, grew up in Iran, and later studied Architecture in Germany. He met his wife, Monika, a hairdresser from a small town in Germany. Kamali shares that her parents were very adventurous people, and they wanted their kids to see all parts of the world. Her parents settled in Dortmund, near Dusseldorf, and opened clothing boutiques. From a very young age, Kamali was interested in more than just looking at clothes, but more in watching customers trying their clothes on, and why they loved or didn’t love a certain piece. Kamali and her family moved to Orange County, California when she was 11. They settled in Laguna Beach, and Kamali and her brother had to learn English. While her brother learned how to surf, Kamali was busy taking it all in, the effortlessness and undoneness of how people dressed in California. She knew from a young age that she wanted to be a designer. By the time she graduated high school, they were back in Germany, Kamali enrolled in Trier University and studied garment construction. She knew by the time she graduated that the plan at some point was to move to Paris and become a designer.
‘There is a very distinct style code at Chloe – it is unmistakably recognizable.’ Girl on the UES
TIME AT CHLOE
Kamali, being a German girl studying fashion, naturally (some may say) thought of Karl Lagerfeld as the ultimate icon. She attended Central Saint Martins in London and for her internship applied to work at Chloe. Ignored at first, waited for several hours to meet with the studio manager, our girl is a Capricorn (can’t you tell?). She started working 2 weeks later. Kamali would make photocopies of photos of Charlotte Rampling, Lauren Hutton, Jane Birkin and Jerry Hall for moodboards for ten hours a day. Those marked the starting point for her love for that era and the spirit of Chloe. Back at Central Saint Martins, Kamali met professor Luise Wilson, who seemed to have left her mark on Kamali in many ways. Wilson was known to be tough on her students. At graduation, Kamali was one of the few students who presented at London Fashion Week.
Kamali later joined Chloe as a senior designer. This position as a creative director, marks her third appointment at Chloe. She has also worked at Saint Laurent, which one could say – can be seen in her work.
FW 24, Chloe wedge moment in the front row.
CHLOE BEFORE KAMALI’S APPOINTMENT
She follows Gabriella Hearst, who carried the weight of designing for her namesake brand and Chloe at the same time, dividing her time between Paris and New York City. The house lacked the buzz and hype under Hearst, compared to other creative directors such as Lagerfeld, McCartney, and Philo. There was a time when tote bags and flat sandals with Chloe printed all over them were a popular thing, but it wasn’t anything substantial or iconic to be remembered years later. It is also important to note that the bohemian style was not as popular in the 2020’s as it once was, women dressed more androgenously than ever before, steering away from softness and the feminine dress code.
HOW WAS THE DEBUT COLLECTION RECEIVED?
The FW 2024 collection was presented at such a moment in time that people were ready to move on from minimalism to something a little more. That little more felt even more anticipated when it was familiar, and designed by someone well known to the women who wore and adored Chloe. Kamali presented her collection with such substance, it would not be fair to reduce her success to just timing. The light fabrics, the flowiness, and ease yet with an edge made it seem so easy, but this was Kamali’s work over decades in the making. The photos of the collection circulated social media for days. The most memorable remains the front row Chloe girlies (Liya Kebede, Sienna Miller, Pat Cleveland, and Kiernan Shipka) wearing the same Chloe wedge. Apparently, it was unplanned! What a moment. A day after, The Real Real saw a 37% spike in searches and a 130% jump in sales the following month. During the months that followed, Kamali dressed the former Democratic presidential candidate, Kamala Harris, twice, once in a brown suit and the other in a navy outfit. While those did not scream Chloe with the typical lace and flowy-ness, they were somehow coded with the maison.
Kamali talks about the founder, Gaby Aghion, who founded Chloe in 1964 in a sea of men, who championed pret-a-porter long before Yves Saint Laurent launched Rive Gauche, often credited for being the first in bringing ready to wear clothing. Similar to Chemena, who is heading the house of Chloe at a time when fashion is saturated by men designing for women, Aghion, was also a woman designing for women.
Kamali also embodies Chloe in such a way that no other creative director does or can (for the men in that position). She has a relatable type of relationship with Chloe, especially having served ground up in the house.
MAISON DE CHLOE COLLECTION
There is a very distinct style code at Chloe – it is unmistakably recognizable. While I look around at how people are dressed in Paris, there is Chloe DNA, perhaps an ode to the 70’s, a lightness, a little flowyness that I recognize to be familiar. Chloe may be loved around the globe, but is very Parisian at its core. But it also speaks to the American culture, there is a fine line dividing it from Americana and Coachella cues, Kamali’s version of Boho is more Lagerfeld and 70’s inspired. She actually does not like to associate the brand with Boho, as the word has been overused and has lost its allure.
Chloe brought back many things from the Lagerfeld era of 60’s to 80s and then again 90’s when he was back at the house. The boot tucking is only one example. But Chemena made it her own. It’s hard to dismiss the Saint Laurent influence in her work. Her version of Chloe is blended with an edge, a little darkness. The brand marketed itself at a steep price point. A dress is upwards of $6K and shirts are a little under $3K. It sets it apart from several luxury houses. Shoes, bags and accessories may be more ‘affordable’.
‘Kamali also embodies Chloe in such a way that no other creative director does or can. She has a relatable type of relationship with Chloe, especially having served ground up in the house.’ Girl on the UES
KAMALI’S FAMILY
Kamali talks about her family in this interview, we learn about her husband (Wehrum) and two kids (Vito 5 and Alvar 3 at the time of the interview). We see Vito briefly at the end of her debut collection, as he runs towards Kamali, he is promised a visit to the aquarium if he remains seated the entire show. It was the perfect end to the show, as well as Kamali’s very youthful energy as she waved at the guests. If you haven’t seen the show, I highly recommend it. There was something very happy and enthusiastic about those 10 minutes that is hard to express in writing.
They currently live in Neuilly-sur-Seine, in the outskirts of Paris. Prior to that, Kamali lived in 9th arrondissement, where her son learned how to walk on the sidewalks of Avenue Trudaine. Kamali briefly touches on what it means to be a creative director as a woman, and how hard it is to divide her time between work and family. An all too familiar theme for all working moms.
Who is Chemena Kamali? The new creative director at Chloe – let’s talk about Chemena Kamali.
As always, thank you for stopping by and reading. If this content interested you, you might want to follow my Instagram account @girlontheues
See you next time,
Girl on the Upper East Side
Xx
If this interests you, you might enjoy reading my blog post on The Row (the Olsens), Phoebe Philo, and Mansur Gavriel.
Leave a Reply