If it was possible for a brand to be awarded the happiest sunglasses in the world, then the winner would surely be French label, Chloé. Founder and creative brains behind the impossibly chic, ultra-feminine brand, Gaby Aghion has been quoted as saying that all she ever wanted was for Chloé “to have a happy spirit and to make people happy”. For our money, Ms Aghion has succeeded, as every pair of Chloé eyewear since the inaugural collection launched in 2000, feels like a celebration of pure joy. We cannot think of another sunglasses brand with joy as their ethos, let alone a brand at the top echelons of the luxury sector. We salute you, Gaby.
Chloé has the obligatory “exemplary craftsmanship and only the best of modern materials” that should really be an unspoken given with products produced by the legacy European fashion houses. This is why they’re more expensive than their mass-produced contemporaries after all. With legacy fashion brands, the essence of exemplary design, craftsmanship and materials infiltrates every corner, curve, and crevice of their products. However, with Chloé, there is an added playfulness and joyfulness that is impossible to miss. Never more so than in Chloé sunglasses. From the peek-a-boo cut-outs to oversized hexagon frames and squiggled metal arms.
Ms Aghion was born Gabriella Hanoka in Alexandria, Egypt in 1921, to a Jewish family. Like many educated, upper-class family, especially among Egyptian Jews, the Hanokas spoke French, and admired French culture. In 1945, Gabriella moved to Paris with her husband Aghion. Since opening the doors to her now iconic fashion house, Ms Aghion had the vision of merging Parisian elegance with the joyfulness of her upbringing in the warm desert sands of Alexandria. In a world so full of mayhem and atrocities, wearing sunglasses made of elegant joy must be one of life’s special treats. We certainly think so.
In 2021, Chloé announced it was the first luxury fashion house to obtain B Corp certification, given only to companies that have proven their commitment and progress in operating with dual goals of making money AND environmental best practices. Now it’s not just joy driving Chloé, it’s joy + care. Shut-up and take my money.