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Women designers are often lauded for their pragmatism\u2014it\u2019s one of the fashion industry\u2019s trappings and its biggest gender stereotype. \u201cI think what makes us different is I think there\u2019s a strong female energy,\u201d Kamali says, \u201ca female point of view, which makes it obviously very personal and very intuitive.\u201d It\u2019s why her collections are still standouts in the landscape of Paris Fashion Week<\/a> each season. Rather than corsets and stiff tailoring or other concoctions that swaddle and contort the body, Kamali lets it breathe with perfectly adjusted volume and proportion. Her keenness for comfort does not make her clothes less elegant, but rather proposes an alternative, consistent point of view.<\/p>\n FEATURE FIT<\/strong> Sienna Miller in Chloe at the Cannes Film Festival in 2024.<\/span>Getty Images<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figure>\n \u201cA lot [of fashion] feels very forced, very strategized and merchandised and conceptualized and overly produced and trying to tick as many boxes as possible,\u201d Kamali says. \u201cSometimes if you incorporate too many points of views, the message gets diluted.\u201d<\/p>\n More than anything, Kamali wants to get at the spirit of Chlo\u00e9, distilling its essence to its purest iteration. \u201cPeople are informed. They are smart. The audience today is very much aware and connected,\u201d Kamali says. \u201cThey want to understand what this brand stands for.\u201d<\/p>\n Kamali was appointed at the same time as a handful of other lieutenants were \u00adtaking the reins at various brands. Sabato De \u00adSarno, formerly at Valentino, took on Gucci; Adrian Appiolaza, formerly at Loewe, took on Moschino; Peter Hawkings, Tom Ford\u2019s prot\u00e9g\u00e9, took on his label. Two years later, Kamali is the last one standing from this quartet. Her spiritual approach might sound esoteric. But she\u2019s clearly cracked the code.<\/p>\n \u201cChlo\u00e9 is a very emotional brand,\u201d Kamali says. \u201cIt triggers feeling, it triggers instant emotion.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s what makes women gravitate to her universe, something that became evident as Cleveland instructed the cohort at the portrait sitting on how to pose: \u201cDance, move!\u201d she said as Hemingway jumped over a bench and Chung leaned forward to get closer to Weinstock and the lens. These women moved freely and, most importantly, comfortably. \u201cI always say thank God for fashion, the real world is as rough as cement,\u201d Cleveland told me in between shots. She then relaxed into her pose and held on to Kebede. They had entered the Chlo\u00e9 state of mind.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n