We may just be in for another pre–Fashion Month shakeup at a luxury house. Reuters is reporting that Clare Waight Keller, Chloé’s designer since 2011, is leaving the company. (According to their sources, she did not renew her contract with the house, citing the challenges of commuting between London and Paris while parenting her three children.)
Not only that, the report claims she already has a replacement: Natacha Ramsay-Levi, who is currently Nicolas Ghesquière’s second-in-command at Louis Vuitton, where her title is design director. While Keller has stayed very true to the house’s haute-hippie ‘70s DNA, Ramsay-Levi has done more hard-edged work with Ghesquière at Vuitton and Balenciaga, which could signal a new direction for the house.
Also, if Ramsay-Levi is really decamping, it might fan the flames of the ongoing rumors that Ghesquière is leaving his post (he has expressed interest in starting his own line at some point down the road). French luxury house drama: more twists and turns than House of Cards!
We contacted a rep for Chloé, who said, “We do not have any comment at this time.” We have also reached out to Louis Vuitton for comment and will update this when we hear back.
