Chloe was founded in Paris in 1952 by Gaby Aghion, who built the house on a then-radical idea: luxury ready-to-wear for young women, without the long fittings of haute couture. Its first show came in 1956 at Cafe de Flore. Today the label is known for soft, bohemian bags like the Marcie and Drew, which trade pre-owned for a fraction of retail.
Who founded Chloe?
Gaby Aghion grew up in Egypt, studied political science and moved to Paris in 1945 with her husband, into a circle that included the painter Pablo Picasso and the poet Paul Eluard. She wanted to work, not sit around doing lunches, and by 1950 the gap in the market was obvious: haute couture was at its height, but young French women wanted something lighter, ready to wear, without the long fitting process.
She named the label Chloe in 1952 after a friend she felt embodied delicate glamour, and brought in Jacques Lenoir to run the business side while she focused on design. The first Chloe show took place in 1956 at Cafe de Flore, and the brand began to flourish. Chloe is often credited as the first luxury house to put ready-to-wear at the centre of its identity.
Chloe was created to combine youthfulness and femininity, and the label quickly became a favourite of the artistic Paris circles around Aghion.
Who designs Chloe now?
Karl Lagerfeld was the label's defining early designer, steering Chloe from the 1960s into the 1980s and returning for a second era in the 1990s. The studio has since passed through a remarkable roster: Martine Sitbon, Stella McCartney, Phoebe Philo, Hannah MacGibbon, Clare Waight Keller, Natacha Ramsay-Levi and Gabriela Hearst. The through-line across all of them is the founding brief: youthfulness and femininity, worn with ease.
Chemena Kamali took over as creative director in 2023 and has steered the label back toward the romantic, easy codes of its 1970s heyday.
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Who makes Chloe bags?
Chloe designs its bags in Paris, where the house has been based since Aghion's day, and produces them in European workshops. The label belongs to Swiss luxury group Richemont, which has owned it since 1988 and places it alongside Cartier and Van Cleef & Arpels. If you shop by era, the label and hardware inside are your best dating tools, and they explain why two Marcie bags made a decade apart can feel different in the hand.
Worth buying pre-owned?
Chloe is one of the smarter buys in resale. The bags are beautifully made, but they do not hold value the way a Chanel flap or a Hermes Birkin does, which means pre-owned Marcie, Drew, Faye, Nile and Paraty styles regularly sell well below their boutique prices. That gap is the opportunity.
The Marcie, with its slouchy shape and horseshoe hardware, is the house classic and the safest first purchase. The Drew, the small rounded bag that became a cult favourite in the 2010s, is the one to buy if you want the recognizable shape. Pre-owned also opens the past: many of the most wanted Chloe styles are discontinued, so resale is the only way to find them in good condition. On smooth leathers, check the corners and handles closely, and ask for close-ups before buying online. For a house that rarely tops resale rankings, that quiet demand is the tell: people buy Chloe to wear, not to flip.
Frequently asked questions
When was Chloe founded?
1952, in Paris. Gaby Aghion named the house after a friend, and the first Chloe show followed in 1956 at Cafe de Flore.
Who designs Chloe now?
Chemena Kamali has been creative director since 2023, returning the label to the romantic, easy codes of its founding era.
What is the most popular Chloe bag?
The Marcie is the house signature; pre-owned buyers also hunt the Drew, Faye and Paraty, which sell at well below retail.
Do Chloe bags hold value?
Not like Chanel or Hermes. Chloe loses more of its retail value, which is exactly why pre-owned prices are attractive. Buy for love, not returns.
Go deeper on the houses around Chloe with our Prada history and Goyard history, or browse authenticated Chloe bags at Luxe Du Jour.
