Chemena Kamali ( ) (born 1981) is a

fashion design Fashion design is the art of applying design, aesthetics, clothing construction, and natural beauty to clothing and its accessories. It is influenced by diverse cultures and different trends and has varied over time and place. "A fashion design ...

er. She became the

creative director A creative director is a person who makes high-level creative decisions; oversees the creation of creative assets such as advertisements, products, events, or logos; and directs and translates the creative people who produce the end results. Creat ...

of fashion brand

Chloé Chloé () is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1952 by Gaby Aghion. In 1953, Aghion joined forces with Jacques Lenoir, formally managing the business side of the brand, allowing Aghion to purely pursue the creative growth of Chloé. It ...

in 2023.

Early life and education

Born in Germany in 1981, Chemena Kamali graduated from the fashion design course at Trier University of Applied Sciences. She then undertook a Master of Arts in Fashion at

Central Saint Martins Central Saint Martins is a constituent college of the University of the Arts London, a public art university in London, England. The college offers full-time courses at foundation, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and a variety of short ...

University of the Arts in London under Professor Louise Wilson

She graduated with distinction in 2007.

Career

The German designer has over two decades of experience including a long tenure with

. She began her career at the Maison as part of

Phoebe Philo Phoebe Philo OBE (born 25 October 1973) is an English fashion designer. She was the creative director of fashion brands Céline from 2008 to 2017 and Chloé from 2001 to 2006. Her eponymous line launched in 2023. Early life Background Philo ...

’s team and later returned as Design Director to Clare Waight Keller in 2012. Most recently, from 2016, she was Women's Ready to Wear Design Director for Anthony Vaccarello at Saint Laurentbr>
On October 9, 2023, Kamali was appointed as the Creative director, Creative Director of

. Her first show for

Chloe Chloe (; ), also spelled Chloë, Chlöe, or Chloé, is a feminine name meaning "blooming" or "fertility" in Greek. The name ultimately derives, through Greek, from the Proto-Indo-European root , which relates to the colors yellow and green. Th ...

in February 2024 was one of the most warmly received debuts in recent history. As debuts go, Kamali could not have done better. The rousing applause said so. She established a new voice, based on the

language. Chloé has hit the jackpot. With Ms Kamali, a new generation will get to discover the Chloé girl as if for the first time. On Thursday in Paris, Chemena kamali, the new creative director, brought her back. Chemena Kamali's debut at the house was clearly the fashion week winner, with a steady stream of buyers praising her first collection at the house as one of their favorite shows, or citing her as a best new talent. Few months after her first show, Kamali launched Chloé Arts, a new program to nurture women artists. Kamali's new vision for the brand clearly has cross-generation appeal, straddling Gen Z-ers like

Addison Rae {{Infobox person , name = Addison Rae , image = Addison Rae Pandora ME 2021 02.jpg , caption = Rae in 2021 , birth_name = Addison Rae Easterling , birth_place = Lafayette, Louisiana, U.S ...

and Gen X-ers like

Jennifer Lopez Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), also known by her nickname J.Lo, is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer and businesswoman. Lopez is regarded as one of the most influential entertainers of her time, credited with breaking ...

Maya Rudolph Maya Khabira Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress and comedian. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). During her tenure on the show, she appeared in supporting roles in ...

and

Liya Kebede Liya Kebede (; born 1 March 1978) is an Ethiopian-born model (person), model, maternal health advocate, clothing designer, and actress. She has appeared on the cover of ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' 20 times. Kebede has served as the World Health ...

. Then, of course, came the endorsement from US vice president

Kamala Harris Kamala Devi Harris ( ; born October 20, 1964) is an American politician and attorney who served as the 49th vice president of the United States from 2021 to 2025 under President Joe Biden. She is the first female, first African American, and ...

, who wore several

suits on the campaign trail – including one in “coconut brown”.

Awards and honors

In August 2024, she was nominated for designer of the year by the

British Fashion Council The British Fashion Council (BFC) is a non-profit organization that aims to enable sustainable growth of British fashion in the global fashion economy. Founded in 1983, the BFC organizes biannual Women's wear and Men's wear showcases, London F ...

amongst Miucci Prada, Jonathan Anderson and

John Galliano John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...

. The award recognizes British or international designers whose collections have made a notable impact on the industry, “defining the shape of global fashion”. In December 2024, she was celebrated by the

Financial times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and also published digitally that focuses on business and economic Current affairs (news format), current affairs. Based in London, the paper is owned by a Jap ...

as one of the Top 25 world's most influential women of 2024. Financial Times Dec 20

/ref>

Personal life

Kamali is married to management consultant Konstantin Wehrum. The two live in Paris with their two children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kamali, Chemena Living people German women fashion designers German fashion designers Alumni of Central Saint Martins University of Trier alumni Place of birth missing (living people) Year of birth missing (living people)