Natacha Ramsay-Levi Appointed Chloé's Creative Director

Update, 11/3: Natacha Ramsay-Levi will helm Chloé as creative director, the brand announced today. She succeeds Claire Waight Keller, who held the position for six years and stepped down this January.

Ramsay-Levi was creative director of women's Ready-to-Wear at Louis Vuitton since 2013, under Nicolas Ghesquière. She's also previously worked with the designer for 11 years at Balenciaga. She'll officially start as Chloé's creative director on April 3, 2017 and will show her first collection in September at Paris Fashion Week, with the Spring 2018 range.

"I am very proud to join a house founded by a woman to dress women. I want to create fashion that enhances the personality of the woman who wears it, fashion that creates a character and an attitude, without ever imposing a 'look,'" Ramsay-Levi said in a statement.

Update, 31/1: Claire Waight Keller is exiting Chloé after six years as creative director, the brand announced this morning. Her last collection with the French maison will be the Fall 2017 range, which will be presented on March 2nd and celebrated the evening of the show. Her departure will be official on March 31st.

The designer said in a statement:

"After six extraordinary years at Chloé I would like to thank Geoffroy and all my colleagues for their enormous efforts over the past years. Working for this Maison has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my career. Chloé is a brand with values close to my heart and I have truly enjoyed working with some of the best talents in the industry. I feel privileged to have worked for a Maison with such a heritage and I am very proud of all that has been achieved."

Original post, 5/1: Chloé has named Louis Vuitton's Natacha Ramsay-Levi as its new creative director.

She replaces Clare Waight Keller who will not be renewing her contract. The designer – who joined the French fashion house in 2011 – was based in London with her family and reportedly found the commute to Paris too much.

During her tenure at the brand, she developed a reputation for romantic silhouettes and breezy, feminine dresses worn by high-profile names such as Clémence Poésy, Kristen Dunst and Jennifer Lawrence.

Waight Keller's next steps are thus far unknown, although she shared a cryptic Instagram post alluding to a new role earlier today.

The Business of Fashion reports that Ramsay-Levi most recently served as Nicolas Ghesquière's second-in-command at Louis Vuitton. Former Vuitton employees told Reuters that she acted as the main channel between Ghesquière and his designers, who he, allegedly, rarely communicates with.

Whether or not she'll be able to adapt her design skills to such an aesthetically different brand remains to be seen.

From: Harper's BAZAAR UK