Laurent Malecaze, chief executive officer of Dunhill since January 2022, is to take the management helm of Chloé, WWD has learned.
Malecaze succeeds Riccardo Bellini, who left an indelible mark on the Paris fashion house as the architect of its new business model based on purpose, sustainability and accountability.
Sources describe the management transition as planned and amicable, at the conclusion of Bellini’s four-year mandate. His next move could not immediately be learned.
Chloé parent Richemont said Bellini’s decision was made “in full collaboration with the group to allow proper completion of his mission” and a smooth transition.
During his four years as president and CEO, the Italian executive famously recruited designer Gabriela Hearst to fast-track Chloé’s eco ambitions all the way to B Corp status. He also found Hearst’s successor, Chemena Kamali, who is to stage her first fashion show during Paris Fashion Week next February.
Under Bellini, Chloé experienced “a period of growth and strong results both financially and creatively,” according to Richemont.
The handover to Malecaze marks a swift rise through the ranks for the Frenchman, who in 2020 became the inaugural CEO at AZ Factory, a joint venture between Richemont and the designer Alber Elbaz, who died of COVID-19 in April 2021.
Chloé, Dunhill and AZ Factory are all part of Richemont’s “other” business division, which consists of primarily fashion and accessories brands including Alaïa, Delvaux, Montblanc, Peter Millar, Purdey and Serapian.
Revealing the executive change exclusively to WWD, Philippe Fortunato, CEO of Richemont’s fashion and accessories maisons, thanked Bellini for his dedication and leadership.
“He has helped reconnect Chloé with its purpose, bringing a unique point of differentiation within the industry and laying the foundations for its next cycle of growth,” he said, adding “I wish him success in his future projects.”
Aided by French sociologists and the company’s own braintrust, Bellini discovered in Chloé’s roots a strong commitment to women’s freedom and progress, and it inspired him to retool the brand’s approach. He has been an articulate and enthusiastic champion of companies doing good for the planet and people, while still pursuing profits.
“I am proud of four amazing years of business growth, transformation and successful results, the continuous elevation of the maison and the leadership and pioneering role that Chloé plays today in sustainability,” Bellini said in a statement, thanking his teams and Richemont for their “support and partnership.”
He added that “Chloé has the solid foundations to continue to grow bigger and stronger and I am fully confident that Chemena Kamali as new creative director will unlock the full potential of the maison. I wish her and the entire Chloé team all the best future success.”
A pensive, yet ebullient executive, Bellini told WWD in an interview last February that revenues at the Paris-based fashion house gained 60 percent since Hearst had taken up the design helm — with low-impact Nama sneakers, recycled denim and linen Woody tote bags among items selling briskly while leaving a small environmental footprint.
It is understood Chloé will continue as a socially engaged enterprise, with its sustainable ethos now embedded throughout.
In October 2021, Chloé became the first European luxury maison to receive B Corp status, a major stepping stone on its path to fully becoming a company that is purpose-driven, planet-friendly, community-based and accountable.
Fashion’s newest duo, Malecaze and Kamali are expected to put their own stamp on the Paris house, where the headquarter’s reception lobby is lined with portraits of Chloé’s rotating cast of design talents including Hearst, Phoebe Philo, Clare Waight Keller, Stella McCartney, Hannah MacGibbon and Natacha Ramsay-Levi.
During an epic fashion career, Karl Lagerfeld logged some 25 years at Chloé in two separate stints, helping define its soft, romantic spirit — and occasional Art Deco bent.
Fortunato called out Malecaze’s “proven track record in partnering with great creative talents, and his ability to energize an organization will be instrumental to lead Chloé during this period of creative renewal.”
He added that he’s confident Chloé’s new duo “will usher in a sustained period of growth.”
For his part, Malecaze said he’s “extremely honored to be leading such an iconic French luxury maison” and “thrilled to start this new chapter with the immensely talented Chemena Kamali.”
He is expected to build upon what Richemont described as a “successful elevation and transformation of the brand.”
Before joining the Swiss luxury group, Malecaze was CEO of The Webster, the American multibrand retailer.
A graduate of elite French business school HEC, Malecaze started his career at Bain & Co. in 2011 as strategic consultant in Paris, London and Sydney. He joined The Webster in 2015 as chief operating officer. He was appointed president in 2018 and named CEO in April 2019.
According to Richemont, Malecaze’s two years at Dunhill yielded a “strong improvement of its financial performance.”
It is understood a search for Malecaze’s successor at Dunhill has been initiated, with Andrew Holmes, chief operating and financial officer, standing in as ad interim CEO.
During Malecaze’s brief tenure at the brand, he recruited Simon Holloway as creative director, reinforced the brand positioning, and tweaked the British men’s house’s operating model.
Fortunato noted Dunhill has “a very strong team” in place and the maison “is in good hands to open a successful new chapter of its rich history.”
Bellini had joined Chloé from Maison Margiela, where he spent two years as CEO, having risen through the ranks of OTB, the Italian fashion group controlled by Renzo Rosso. Prior to Margiela, Bellini was executive vice president of branding at Diesel and Diesel Black Gold and chief marketing officer at Diesel.
The Italian executive started his career at Procter & Gamble Co., transitioning from beauty to a fruitful career in fashion.
It is understood Chloé has already shown Kamali’s first design effort, for pre-fall 2024, to select retail partners and received an enthusiastic response.
Born in Germany in 1981, Kamali studied fashion design at the Trier University of Applied Sciences and then graduated from Central Saint Martins, a constituent college of the University of the Arts in London, in 2007, beginning her career at Chloé as part of Philo’s team.
She rejoined Chloé in 2013 as design director under Waight Keller until 2016, when she departed to become Saint Laurent’s women’s ready-to-wear design director under Anthony Vaccarello.
Her résumé also includes stints at Alberta Ferretti and Strenesse. She recently consulted for Los Angeles-based contemporary brand Frame.
Founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion and controlled by Richemont since its formation in 1988, Chloé was a pioneer in luxury ready-to-wear, liberating women from the rigidity of couture.
