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Young talent has been tasked with bringing oomph

and impetus to some of the biggest brands in Paris,

Milan and New York, on occasion turning them

on their heads (as with Helmut Lang, where Hood

By Air’s Shayne Oliver has been enlisted to reboot),

or at least injecting them with a healthy dose of

fresh creative energy. Luke and Lucie Meier, a

married couple whose previous experience ranges

from Dior to Supreme, have been signed up to

recharge Jil Sander. And delivered. Same goes for

Carven, whose new creative director Serge Ruffieux

has shown a flair for beautifully made contemporary

womenswear. Here, though, is our pick of the most

notable new arrivals in A-list ateliers.

House

swap

A host of gifted movers and shakers is

modernising fashion’s leading maisons

CHLOÉ

Ramsay-Levi had been on Parisians’ radar long before
January 2017’s announcement that she would be taking
Clare Waight Keller’s place at Chloé. A decade ago
Ramsay-Levi was something of an it-girl and party-
page fixture. She wanted to be a historian until she saw
Nicolas Ghesquière’s work for Balenciaga, joined the
company as his intern and graduated to a designer role.
When Ghesquière moved to Louis Vuitton in November
2013, she followed him as creative director of women’s
ready-to-wear, earning a reputation for translating his
direction into saleable looks. He remains one of her
most vocal supporters. ‘I have watched her grow into
the determined and talented woman she is today,’
he said recently. ‘It is going to be very exciting to see
her rise and create her signature.’
Ramsay-Levi’s insider experience and her product-
savvy attitude made her the ideal candidate for
Chloé at a crucial time for the house, which recently
revealed ambitious expansion plans, including an

array of new stores and a greater product range.

The first Frenchwoman to lead the brand in more than

25 years, Ramsay-Levi says of her take on the Parisian

maison: ‘Chloé girls have a suave mix of sophistication

and humility; they are timeless but never conventional.

I want to continue to shape their course, staying

true to the independent and intellectual spirit of

Gaby Aghion [Chloé’s founder], and to those who

perpetuated this democratic style, so resolutely

feminine, so joyful.’

Ramsay-Levi’s first collection, presented last

September, drew rave reviews for its sense of ease

and affirmed femininity. Graphic flower-printed dresses

mixed with dressage-inspired silhouettes, camel

tailoring, 1970s-infused slouchy trousers and woven

leather boots. ’I want to give women the opportunity

to show their inner strength, not their power. That’s

the personality of the woman I am drawn to.’

chloe.com

RAMSAY-LEVI (TOP) STAMPED

VELVET SUITS WITH CHLOÉ’S

PRANCING HORSE MOTIF

NATACHA RAMSAY-LEVI

ILLUSTRATOR: MAGDA ANTONIUK WRITER: MARTA REPRESA

Intelligence

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