This Is What Female Utopia Looks Like, According To Chloé's Natacha Ramsay-Levi

Hippie modernism might not be a proposition you’re currently ruminating over for your January wardrobe, but, thanks to Natacha Ramsay-Levi, it’s firmly on the agenda. Her hand-spun knits and scarf prints – very Sienna Miller circa 2005 – premiered at Chloé's spring/summer 2019 show, and, now, the campaign for the collection has landed.

Shot by Steven Meisel, the imagery evokes a “feminine utopia”, according to Ramsay-Levi. Four women, played by models Rianne Van Rompaey, Carolina Burgin, Hannah Ferguson and Imaan Hammam, drift through a modern villa space and embody the alternate Chloé lifestyle. “There is an aura of mystery surrounding the nature of their bond,” the designer continues. “They are linked by a sensuality and a stately demeanour.”

If the concept sounds predictable for a brand that has spun hippie clichés into its unique currency, the collection is rooted in Ramsay-Levi’s New Age research. “Hippie modernism is an oppositional expression suggesting a lifestyle that is affected by the environment and the idea of modernity,” the designer explains. “The hippie culture represents the last utopia of the 20th century, which for me, is very relevant today.”

The head of the house enlisted Meisel to envisage each of her campaigns in order to create a common thread between them. “For me, Steven has this ability to film women and reveal their incredible beauty while simultaneously proposing a strong statement about the fashion,” says Ramsay-Levi. “This is a balance that I find rare and hence treasure in a photographer’s work… you can notice a recurring flow to the films and a composition to the images that become emblematic of Chloé today”.

The campaign is foremost a film, which will be unveiled on January 21. But, unlike Ramsay-Levi and Meisel's creative collaboration for autumn/winter 2018, which showed a cast of six women from a distance, this time Meisel shot his subjects at closer range. “You are almost right there next to the models, as though you are being transported, too,” Ramsay-Levi muses. “You become aware of this evocation of desire, and my hope is that it will linger in your thoughts.”