Chloe was born in London in 1985 and was raised in a small town in the UK. Growing up, she always had a passion for fashion and went on to study fashion design at university. After graduation, she worked in various stores across Europe before being given the opportunity to work in an American retail store as a Buyer. She later moved to New York City where she worked in a luxury retail store for 3 years. In 2014, she was given the role of buying for a major Italian fashion house and traveled frequently between New York and Milan, Italy. In June 2018, she was promoted to the role of Global Fashion Director for the company and relocated to Milan. The brand which she worked for was renowned for hiring some of the biggest names in fashion and was loved by many for their unique and exclusive designs and styles. Most recently, Chloe was in Venice for the wedding of her cousin, Emily. The wedding was a celebration of beauty, style, and of course, happiness! Unfortunately, the happy couple had to say their goodbyes the next day as Emily succumbed to COVID-19 less than 24 hours after the ceremony. The couple were both 31 years old.
Covid-19 Hits Fashion Industry Hards
It’s fair to say that 2020 was a hard year for the fashion industry. The pandemic affected pretty much every area of design and commerce, resulting in countless job losses. Social distancing, protective gear, and lockdowns were all parts of everyday life for manufacturers, retailers, and brands. This led to a dramatic decline in business-as-usual. People weren’t going to restaurants, bars, or shopping centers as much, so there was less need for clothes. There was also a significant rise in fashion foreclosures and businesses that went under as a result of the pandemic. It is estimated that 7.5 million jobs were lost across the globe as a result of the outbreak. And these are just the figures we know about, as many businesses and jobs were kept hidden from public view to preserve anonymity. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the fashion industry lost 386,000 jobs in March alone and is still struggling to find its footing as we head into 2021.
Chloe’s Career Was Inspired By Designing For Emily
Before her untimely death, Chloe was in the process of being appointed as the Global Fashion Director of an Italian fashion house. Although the position offered her the opportunity to work remotely and from Italy, she accepted the offer because she was so inspired by her previous employer, who had an expansive fashion design department. Chloe was a driving force behind many of the unique and innovative designs which the house produced and was credited with turning around a struggling business. Her role was to take the designs from concept to production and to work with the head designer and his team to ensure that all the details were in place. In an interview with Vogue, Chloe shared her excitement about starting her new role and her desire to push the boundaries of what people thought was possible in fashion. When asked about the biggest challenge she faced in her new position, she described it as “figuring out how to work with [the head designer] and his team remotely since we’re all in different parts of the world.” The designer was based in Italy and had a team of 10 in London, while Chloe worked from home in New York City. Despite the circumstances, the two maintained regular contact and were able to work together to make sure the designs were executed as planned. Chloe worked for the fashion house for about a year and a half before leaving to pursue other opportunities. During her time there, she became a mother to a baby girl and credited the child’s nap schedules with helping her to manage her job responsibilities while also being a parent.
Chloe Was A Well-Loved Figure In The Fashion Industry
Chloe was respected and loved by many in the fashion industry for her unique and innovative designs which often pushed the boundaries of what was possible. In 2019, she was awarded The Best Italian Designer by L’Uomo Vogue for her extraordinary achievement in bringing European design to the masses. In their annual review of the best Italian designers, the fashion publication cited Chloe’s design aesthetic as a key influencer of this success.
In 2010, GQ named Chloe as one of the 50 most influential people in menswear,
and in 2019, she was included on Elle UK’s 25 Most Influential Women in Fashion list. Additionally, in 2019, Chloe was recognized by Italian Vogue as one of the Top 100 Most Influential Italians in the World. We can see why she was so influential; her designs were unique, and they were often produced in small runs, which made them highly coveted.
A Great Designer Tastemaker
Besides taking her role as a fashion designer seriously, Chloe was also a great tastemaker. The Italian Vogue review of her work referred to her as “the woman who singlehandedly saved menswear in the 2010s,” and her Instagram account is filled with men’s and women’s clothing suggestions which she has curated from other designers. In her own right, she was an influencer in her own right; she founded and managed the fashion influencer account @chloelipeattinson, which had over 100,000 followers, and she would share her unique insights about fashion and style with her audience.
It was clear that Chloe saw herself as more than just a designer; she wanted to be an industry influencer and thought leader who could help other designers and brands to grow their businesses. We can see why she was so driven to succeed in this role; she had been through a lot as a child, moving from London to Milan and then back to London, where she grew up. She had suffered from an eating disorder and battled depression and anxiety throughout her teens and early twenties. After she married her husband, Richard, they made their home in London and had a child together. Chloe decided that she needed a change of pace and took on a new role in the fashion industry, which she saw as a way to make a difference and give something back to the community. Now, it seems that she has done just that. In addition to designing, she had started a business which provided products to people with skin sensitivities, ensuring that they could enjoy fashion style and products without fear of suffering from adverse reactions. In 2021, she is planning to launch a capsule collection designed for socially conscious and environmentally aware fashion fans.
A Tragic Loss
Chloe’s death was a tragic loss for the fashion industry and for our community. She was only 31 years old and had so much more to offer. She was just beginning to really find her feet in the industry and had so much potential. We can’t help but wonder what the future holds for fashion as a whole and for her work in particular. The Italian Vogue review of her work noted “her unique design sensibility and modern approach” and stated that her “extraordinary talent and determination will be sorely missed.”
It’s clear that she not only influenced the Italian fashion industry, but she also had a huge impact on our community. She had built a brand for herself, but she wanted to be known for more than her designs and wanted to be a figurehead in the fight against eating disorders. In an interview with Vogue, Chloe explained how she viewed her role as a designer: “I want to be known for more than my clothes, I want to be known for being a voice. I want to be known for speaking up for other people with eating disorders who can’t speak for themselves.” As much as we would love to see more people in our community speaking up for those with eating disorders and helping to raise awareness, we know that this is not something that will happen overnight. This awareness needs to be promoted and encouraged from an early age, and we look to the fashion industry and to those who design our clothes for inspiration on how to do this most effectively. Chloe is gone, but her designs live on, and we will continue to inspire many more with her stylish example.