Chloé Replaces Hannah MacGibbon with Clare Waight Keller
The plot thickens!
Just weeks after Chloé CEO Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye told WWD that creative director Hannah MacGibbon was "still with us," the fashion label has announced that former Pringle of Scotland designer Clare Waight Keller will replace the departing MacGibbon.
Despite murmurings that MacGibbon had renewed her contract with the French label, she will indeed be the latest in a long line of departing designers (read: Dior, Balmain, etc.), thus causing more speculation that she may land at Dior, or Givenchy, should Riccardo Tisci move on to the former.
Waight Keller, who left Pringle in March to reportedly spend time with her family, will take over the reins June 1.
"We warmly welcome Clare to Chloé as we continue to define feminine elegance for the radiant, active, and effortlessly graceful woman of today," de la Bourdonnaye said in a press statement. "Clare’s unique talent and skilled eye is enriched through her deep experience across global fashion players and her highly acclaimed rejuvenation of a major heritage house."
"I am thrilled to be joining one of the most prestigious design houses in Paris," said Waight Keller, who has also worked for Gucci, Ralph Lauren Purple Label, and Calvin Klein. "Chloé is a brand that conveys a beautiful sense of effortless femininity and vivacious sophistication that I look forward to continuing into the next era. I am excited to be working with Geoffroy and the incredibly creative and talented design team at Chloé."
And what of MacGibbon?
"We are grateful to Hannah for her contribution and commitment to Chloé," de la Bourdonnaye told Vogue U.K. "Her considerable talents will be missed; we are proud to count Hannah among the Hall of Fame of great designers who have marked the history of Chloé since 1952. I wish Hannah well in her new projects."
"I will always have a deep affection for Chloé and am very grateful to the company for having given me this opportunity," MacGibbon, who won acclaim for her womenswear during her three years at the label, told the magazine.
"New projects"? Hmm ...
Meanwhile, find out which major label recently sent their top designer packing.
