The House and its founder are celebrated through the lens of her Jewish heritage.
Bringing together the vibrancy of Jewish culture and the luxurious appeal of high fashion is The Jewish Museum’s newest exhibit, “Mood of the moment: Gaby Aghion and the house of Chloé.” Honoring Jewish entrepreneur Gabby Aghion, the founder of French fashion house Chloé, this exhibit is the first to celebrate her life, her legacy and her creative vision.
Chloé, a brand that consistently shows collections of beautifully tailored and sharply styled garments, credits itself as being attuned to the needs and wants of the modern woman. Aghion founded the brand in 1952 as an outlet to offer women clothing that differed from the popular stiff and formal fashions of the time. The talented entrepreneur designed luxurious ready-to-wear pieces that allowed the wearer to look stylish while exercising their right to move freely and feel comfortable.
After choosing the brand’s name, inspired by its youthful shape and feminine image, Aghion created the Chloé persona. Different from other designer brands of the era, the Chloé woman defined herself not only by her outward appearance but by her free and modern attitude.
The Jewish Museum is an art museum that, according to its own promotional materials, is committed to “illuminating the complexity and vibrancy of Jewish culture for a global audience.” The Museum offers diverse exhibitions and programs while maintaining a unique collection of art, ceremonial objects and media that reflect the global Jewish experience over more than 4,000 years.
The exhibit was organized by Claudia Gould, Director Emerita and Exhibition Project Director; Choghakate Kazarian, Guest Curator and Kristina Parsons, Leon Levy Assistant Curator. The exhibition was designed by Elliott Barnes.
Featuring nearly 150 garments that span the label’s 70-year history and never before-exhibited sketches and documents from the Chloé Archive, the exhibit showcases works from a number of designers, some of whom began their careers at Chloé.
According to The Jewish Museum, this exhibit was designed to explore “the ways in which each subsequent creative director uniquely interpreted the Chloé ethos and echoed the needs of their time, from the development of ready-to-wear to embracing sustainable practices in fashion.” Iconic names such as Karl Lagerfeld, Stella McCartney, Hannah MacGibbon, Natacha Ramsay-Levi, Gabriela Hearst and Phoebe Philo are represented.
Artfully designed and wonderfully curated, The Jewish Museum has captured the ways in which Aghion’s vision altered the course of the global fashion industry. The pieces on display and accompanying historical anecdotes offer a peak into the brand’s rich history of design and celebrate women’s fashion with an appreciation for Aghion’s heritage.
“Mood of the moment” is on view at the Jewish Museum until Feb. 18, 2024.
Black and white images of Gaby Aghion in the desert near Alexandria, Egypt, photographed by Raymond Aghion, ca. 1940–45. Courtesy Philippe Aghion and Chloé Archive, Paris. Autumn–winter 1958 fashion show at Brasserie Lipp. “Mood of the moment” exhibition images by Dario Lasagni. All images courtesy the Jewish Museum, NY.
