By Victoria King
Content Brand History Brand Analysis Brand Positioning Competitors Consumers Communication Touch-Points New Concept Bibliography and References
“’Chloé’ – a name they chose for its warm, feminine appeal – is perfectly in sync with the new mood of Paris: youthful and modern in design, and slightly audacious in spirit”
The world renowned brand ChloĂŠ was founded in 1952 by Egyptianborn Gaby Aghion, who, upon arriving in Paris after the war, was surprised and disappointed by the lack of freedom for Parisian women.
The brand therefore takes a different twist on the “stiff formality of the 50’s fashion” and Aghion created a unique brand which displayed soft but sophisticated collections. The fashion line was created in a bid to “break free of the constraints of traditional haute couture”. Made from luxury fabrics to form body conscious clothes, unique for their time, its bohemian, feminine details made it a favourite of icons like Grace Kelly and Maria Callas.
In another modern twist, she also did not use her own name for the label, but a name she treasured for its “feminine softness and visual roundness”, and so Chloé was born. Aghion exhibited her first debut collection along with business partner Jacques Lenoir over breakfast in Café de Flore in 1958 – “the press were delighted: it was refreshing to see a fashion collection presented in a real life context, close to the energy of the street”.
With only a year’s design experience under his belt, Karl Lagerfeld was appointed the houses head designer in 1966, and under his direction the label blossomed, becoming one of the most iconic fashion brands of the 1970’s. Lagerfeld also attracted further celebrities such as Brigitte Bardot and Jackie Kennedy to wear the luxurious daywear, therefore promoting the brand and creating a bigger name for itself.
“With its romantic gauzy blouses and long skirts, Chloé defines the look of a generation”
It was Stella McCartney who took to next transforming the brands fortunes in 1997, with a romantic yet streetwise mix of vintage lingerie, tailoring and signature lowrider trousers that hit a nerve with young women around the world, the fusion of a London rock’n’roll vibe with Chloé’s chic Parisian heritage revived the brand and propelled the house to a new level of success. When McCartney’s celebrity friends, including Madonna, Kate Moss and Cameron Diaz were seen sporting the brand this also further established the labels status.
“The energy is different in Paris. It’s classic and precise and there’s a tension between modernity and heritage here which affects my approach… Chloé speaks to me on so many levels. First because its feminine. I love the free-spirited, effortless attitude, the kind of girl Chloé is. It’s about those fabulous pieces you wear so many different ways and the spirit of confidence you have when you wear them. It’s real.” – Claire Waight Keller, Chloé’s current Creative Director, since 2011.
Aghion’s heritage is still very much present within the spirit and values of the brand today, and thanks to her, ChloÊ has asserted itself as the perfect incarnation of the young and modern woman.
ChloÊ is a representation of Aghion’s early life in Egypt which gave her a taste for the outdoors, for sports and supple clothing which eased movement. She therefore designed a small collection of light cotton poplin dresses in a palette which was inspired by the colours of the Egyptian sand; with the warm neutral tones, rosetinted beige, ochre and earthy hues soon becoming iconic of the brand.
“A lot of things did not exist… everything was yet to be invented. It was like a tornado that led me to create a spirit.”
Perceptual Map Sexual
Masculine Feminine
Conservative
One of ChloÊ’s main competitors is CÊline; the brands are very similar to one another, both being cuttingedge and timeless at once. Both brands also share the same feminine and simplistic elements and the essence of the brand is very flirtatious yet minimalistic; a true reflection of the iconic French image.
Brand Essence: Values Suitable for a mix of ages – worn by celebrities such as Cameron Diaz and Kristen Dunst, but also by the everyday woman.
Real Women- her collections are worn by a variety of women with different ethnicities, sexualities and of different sizes
Hereditary- she choses colour palettes that are inspired by her Egyptian routes
Timeless quality- the brand also represents a timeless quality through the classy and sophisticated collections
Brand Essence: Design Equation Feminine- the delicate materials and neutral colours create a very feminine feel
Elegant- Chloé represents a very elegant and tasteful image
“To Make Women Beautiful”
Minimalistic- the brand is very simplistic and chic, giving it a unique twist
Tailored- many of the Chloé brand is tailored to highlight the woman's natural beauty
Brand Essence: Attributes
Luxury- the average dress costs over ÂŁ1000, making the brand relatively high end
Innovative- the collections are fresh and ever-changing
Sophisticated- ChloĂŠ is known for its refined image
Sexual- much of the collection is made of silk or soft cotton materials giving it a very sexual look
Colours- the use of gold's and whites throughout the collection highlight the high quality of the brand
• • • • • • •
Customer Profile Female Aged 20-45 Size 6-12 Freelance Photographer/ Journalist British/ French Working Woman Quirky, cool and fun
• • • • • • • • • • • •
What She Likes: freelance photography Being in London Being with family Being on her feet Keeping busy Travelling Unique things Shopping – both thrift shops and boutiques and at Zara or H&M Visiting museums Reading journals and magazines such as ‘Vogue’ or ‘Grazia’ Going out with friends to classic cinemas or plays Chloe, Stella McCartney, Proenza Schouler, Vivienne Westwood
• • • • •
What She Dislikes: Mass-market high street chains such as New Look Junk food Camping Music Festivals Clothes that don’t last
Communication Touch-Points
ChloĂŠ is a very up-to-date brand and therefore also keeps on top of their touch points and is nearly on every single social media sight including Twitter, Facebook,, YouTube Pinterest and Instagram to attract and communicate to consumers.
Fashion Show/Catwalk
Online Shop
Advertising
Chloé have also have brand specific communication touch-points including ‘Attitudes’, a book the brand launched which is a display of the timeless creativity of the brand over the past sixty years.
Chloé is celebrating its 60th anniversary with an interesting integrated campaign that includes 26 short films, an exhibition, and a smart social media roll-out. The films are beautifully crafted and pleasant to watch for all the fans of the brand and fashionistas in general. But the most interesting part from my point of view is actually the social media plan behind their release. Everyday a different fashion blogger has the exclusivity to feature the video before its release on the Chloé’s website. A win-win approach that rewards both the influencers and a brand that, for once, it’s not afraid of giving up the preciousness of a preview.
None of Chloé’s advertising campaigns feature celebrities; instead they rely on talented photographers and expressive models to represent the brands freespirited and playful essence with an effortless sense of elegance – values that Aghion held in high regard when she created the label.
“The Chloé girl is about a lightness of spirit and easy cool. She’s not precious or contrived,” - Fabien Baron - “So nature and the outdoors are a fitting context for the Chloé girl. It reinforces that ease and authenticity.”
ChloĂŠ is a worldwide brand and has stores located across the globe including in Paris, London, Dublin and Milan.
When visiting the ChloĂŠ Boutique on Sloane Street and the section in Harrods, it was clear that as a brand they take pride in the way in which their collections are displayed; with it all being very sleek and stylish and the light colours and open spaces within the shops reflected the tranquil vibe of the brand as a whole.
Perfume
Chloé is also well known for its signature perfume; the scent capturing the creative yet fresh and feminine spirit in reflection of the rest of the brand. “The complex yet intuitive blend effortlessly characterises the cool chic of the Chloé woman”, and the scent mirrors the classic yet warm and seductive essence of the brand.
Chloé has released many different perfumes over the years, including L’eau de Chloé, See by Chloé and Roses de Chloé.
Roses de Chloé is one of the more recent perfumes to be launched and it tries to capture a walk down the Parisian rose gardens, bringing it back to the routes and nature of the brand.
Beauty
Feminine
Elegant
Traditional
Innovative
“Luxury Prêt-à-Porter”
Heritage
New Concept
For my new concept I wanted to focus on the routes of the brand and where it all began and also how it can grow and develop through its heritage but with a modern twist.
I found it very intriguing the fact that Aghion made such a statement through displaying her debut collection in a cafĂŠ and how this caused uproar with press and was also a starting point to which she used the placement of many of her debuts, bringing her collection closer to the real world and emphasising the nature and freshness it bought with it.
I therefore used this as the starting point to my new concept; Café de Chloé. I feel that Chloé could develop and grow as a brand if they were to expand their stores with a luxurious yet old-fashioned café in or near each store.
I believe the cafÊ should reflect the labels heritage French theme and include mainly nudes and gold’s along with vintage furniture to keep the flow of the brand running throughout and also to reflect the upper-class quality of the label. But at the same time I hope it will also create a relaxing vibe for the shoppers, or even just a high end catch up location for the loyal customers; it will be giving something back.
I feel this idea would work well as no other brands or competitors of ChloĂŠ have done anything like this before, but it will also suit the modern woman, who would be able to enjoy a relaxing break in this luxurious, yet timeless setting.
Within the cafĂŠ there will be a range of cupcakes and treats, all with the typical ChloĂŠ bow on them; again keeping the flow of the label within the new concept and reflecting the delicate atmosphere of the brand as a whole.
I think this expansion should take place using a collaboration with Atlanta Bartlett as I feel they would work well together and Atlanta Bartlett would be able to echo the fresh yet elegant ambiance that ChloĂŠ holds. Bartlett is an interior stylist who usually designs for weddings, however I feel her beautifully soft aesthetic would be exactly what the brand would need with their expansion.
Bartlett's husband, Dave Coote is also a furniture and interiors designer whose work is very similar to Bartlett's but with a more elegant and wealthy feel to it through the use of gold exterior and I feel by merging the two designers together, they would be able to create the perfect cafĂŠ ambiance for ChloĂŠ.
Egyptian-looking tea cups and saucers would also feature in the cafÊ; these gold trimmings would incorporate Aghion’s Egyptian background and the soft colours of the furniture would reflect the soft nudes that are seen in the Egyptian deserts. The china could also have a white and gold theme, keeping up the Egyptian theme, yet also creating a luxury and feminine vibe.
This theme could also lead to the creation of a new make-up range, inspired by the beautiful make up that Egyptian women used to wear.
ChloĂŠ could benefit well from launching their own beauty range as it is the only thing the brand lacks.
The range could include lipsticks, mascaras, eyeliners, eye shadows and blushers: all featuring the signature ChloĂŠ ribbon on them. The colours would all be very neutral with the occasional bright lipstick to keep the feminine yet sexy vibe of the brand, and the natural glow of the woman afresh.
They could also release a ‘customise your own’ range in which the customer is able to create their own unique Chloé make up bag that suits perfectly to them. This would be done online and for a selected time only to increase the awareness of the launch of the range, giving the consumer a unique, one off item that is specifically their own.
The consumer would be able to choose from a variety of different patterns, colours, textures, shapes and sizes when personalising their makeup bag and could even customise with text to add additional uniqueness.
The range could also debut at the café, in the same way the brand originally launched its clothing collections; mixing a blend of the old and the new into launch.
“More than fifty years after Gaby Aghion imagined it, Chloé’s vision of romantic, ultra feminine fashion lives on”
References ?. (?). About Chloé. Available: http://www.chloe.com/chloeenglish.html. Last accessed 21 Jan 2014. ?. (2003). Karl Lagerfeld. Available: http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Karl_Lagerfeld. Last accessed 21 Jan 2014 Martina. (2012). Chloé's Fashion Alphabet. Available: http://www.adverblog.com/2012/10/09/chloes-fashionalphabet/. Last accessed 21 Jan 2014 Laure Guilbault . (2012). Chloé's Campaigns: Spirited Away. Available: http://www.wwd.com/medianews/advertising/chlo-campaigns-spirited-away-6344946. Last accessed 21 Jan 2014.
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Victoria King N0501013 Fashion Communication and Promotion (Level 1) Visual Awareness FASH10105