Chloe founder Gaby Aghion dies aged 93
The woman who co-founded French fashion house Chloé passed away on September 27
BY BIBBY SOWRAY | 29 SEPTEMBER 2014



Aghion established Chloé in 1952 alongside her business partner Jacques Lenoir as an antidote to the stiff, formal couture outfits that had become popular. She was credited with pioneering the introduction of luxury ready-to-wear and bridging the gap between made-to-measure and ready-to-wear. Many couturiers, such as Hubert de Givenchy, quickly followed her lead by introducing 'off the peg' collections.

Egypt-born Aghion remained involved with Chloé until 1985, when the brand was bought by Swiss luxury group Richemont, and was responsible for bringing in designers such as Karl Lagerfeld, Maxime de la Falaise and Gérard Pipart to helm design. She rarely missed a Chloé fashion show, even after she had sold her business interests, with current Chloé chairman and chief executive officer Geoffroy de la Bourdonnaye noting to WWD that among Aghion's last wishes was that her death should not overshadow Chloé's spring/summer 2015 show at Paris Fashion Week, which took place the day after her passing.

Clare Waight Keller, Chloé's current creative director, dedicated the show to Aghion, exalting her "free spirit and independent resolve" in the show notes.
In 2013 Aghion received the Legion of Honour, France's highest decoration, for her contribution to the country's fashion industry.
Past designers to have helmed Chloé have been quick to praise the woman who pioneered the evolution of a fashion house that did not share the name of its founder.

"She helped me in a way to become what I am now - and that you will never forget. I think she had a happy life," said Lagerfeld, who became lead designer at the brand in 1966 and went on to log 26 years with the house, over two seperate stints, and now helms Chanel, Fendi and his own eponymous brand.

Hannah McGibbon, who headed the brand from 2008 to 2011, said: "She was such a modern and feminine woman. She was always so warm, with a fantastic sparkle in her eye. She had a great eye for what was right. You really had a sense she was tuning into everything that was around her. I had a strong sense of wanting her approval at the end of every show." While Martine Sitbon, Chloé's designer from 1987 to 1992, commented on her "passion for the house and a true love for fashion."