When Phoebe Philo left Chloé, devotees of the French label's Left Bank bohemian spirit were rightly worried. What would become of the modern romantic vision they loved so dearly? After interviewing more than 30 candidates, the announcement of Marni creative director Paulo Melim Andersson as the successor spun those fears into excited anticipation.

Paulo Melim Andersson was born in Madeira but grew up in Sweden. After graduating from Central St. Martin’s, he worked for Maison Martin Margiela before joining Italian design house Marni in 1999. After seven years as Marni’s senior designer, he was appointed chief designer at Chloé in October 2006.

With a mandate for fresh direction, the witty Andersson imports a playfully edgy and audacious aesthetic to Chloé. Andersson’s youthful interpretation of femininity catapulted Marni to popularity, and from what we’ve seen of his inaugural collection for fall 2007 and the coming Cruise 2008 collection, stamps a new legacy for Chloé and See by Chloé.