Designer Fears

Designer Fears

CLARE WAIGHT KELLER was fearless enough to leave a role that she'd held for six years, as creative director of Pringle, to take on the challenge of replacing Hannah MacGibbon at the helm of iconic French label Chloe in 2011 - but the designer has revealed that even she had some moments of self-doubt.
"My first Chloe collection was scary, because there's a lot of anticipation," she said. "I'd really only been here for six to eight weeks, and I was taking things home at the weekend and wondering, 'Am I doing this right?' It was an intense six weeks of reworking. Now I feel, 'Ok, I've got a few new reference points that are going to become mine, and a few old ones that I'll put a new spin on,' but it's a difficult time for designers. You're always toying with, 'Is this new enough? Have I seen this before? Is this right for women as well as the brand?'"
And she reveals that her reception as a designer wasn't the only scary part of her new role.

"I don't have that many fears - I left home at 17 - but moving my family here for this has brought more fear than everything, because I'm putting them into a situation that's being created by me but has a huge effect on them," she told the Financial Times. "They don't have the confidence to speak French, which is the same problem I have."