Chloé Is the Most Underrated Brand Right Now
Let's forget what Gabriela Hearst is doing to the brand and focus on currently available Chloé styles...
I've seen a lot of luxury YouTubers pass on Chloé for making trendy bags that get oversaturated and "out of style" quickly (example 1, example 2, example 3). The same influencers will sing the praises of Saint Laurent and claim it is better value for money than Chanel or Dior due to price increases. Now luxury influencers aren't always the best authority on fashion or finances as they often have sponsorships with Farfetch, Luisa Via Roma, etc. (who conveniently exclude Saint Laurent from all coupon codes). However, they do influence what people will think is good value for money and oftentimes what they ultimately purchase.
Don't get me wrong, I love Saint Laurent but I disagree with the idea that Chloé is not a brand worth investing in. In fact, I think they're the most underrated brand right now in price, quality and design.
PRICE
If you look through the current premier designer brands, almost none of them offer an actual handbag under $2,000 USD. I am not counting WOCs or mini bags as I feel an SLG with a chain is not a handbag. With Chloé, nearly everything is under $2,000 USD retail. Unlike Saint Laurent or Bottega Veneta, Chloé is always eligible for discount codes. I've seen YouTubers frame this as a bad thing, but isn't this actually a good thing? It means you can almost always count on getting a trendy bag on sale! 24S has flash promotions anywhere from 15-30% and Chloé is never on the list of exclusions.
As an example, the structured canvas tote bag is a big trend right now. The Chloé Woody Tote is $950 USD. Similar styles are much more expensive, such as the Dior Book Tote ($2,700-$3,000), LV On The Go Tote ($2,800-$2,900) and the Loewe Cushion Tote ($1,350 USD).
Chloé also has a fantastic diffusion line, See by Chloé. The price is not only much better (under $500) but there isn't a huge difference in quality or style from Chloé. In fact, a lot of the same colours (Motty Grey) and designs are available under both Chloé and See by Chloé.
QUALITY
Chloé sometimes gets a bad rep on quality as initial bag designs feature suede or smooth calfskin, which show wear very easily. I find that later iterations for their bags don't feature these leathers and are a lot more durable.
I recently got a Mini Tess Day Bag and have been so impressed with the leather. Look at how THICCC this leather is. It is by far the thickest leather out of all my bags, which includes Dior lambskin, Celine box calfskin, and Loewe smooth calfskin. Chloé's leather quality is nothing to sniff at.
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| Image Source: SSENSE |
DESIGN
A frequently cited reason for not buying Chloé is that they often churn out trendy bags which go out of style quickly and lose resale value. I'd argue that if you're dropping $2,000 on a bag because it's trendy, it's not a really good reason to buy the bag! Not to mention, I've noticed many people have no issues dropping $2,500+ on "trendy" bags from Chanel, Dior and Bottega Veneta.
Chloé consistently comes out with bags that are different to what other brands are doing. They may not be always everyone's taste, but I can't recall people saying Chloé was copying someone else when they came out with the Drew, Faye and Nile bags. The same applies to Natacha Ramsay-Levi's designs like the Tess and Kiss. Even the bags that are following current trends, such as the Marcie basket and Woody tote, have a distinctly "Chloé" vibe.
That's my little rant on Chloé (and I suppose influencers who dare to shade Chloé!). Thank you for listening to my TED talk! I'd love to hear your thoughts and whether you agree or disagree!
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