Maison Atia is Saving Coats of a Different Kind in Chicago

by Natasha Wolff | October 26, 2020 11:00 am

Chloe Mendel, the talented daughter of fashion designer Gilles Mendel,  co-founded luxury faux fur coat label Maison Atia[1] alongside Gustave Maisonrouge. Now, she’s helping to save coats of a different kind. The fashion house’s #BuyACoatSaveAPuppy campaign is working in tandem with PAWS Chicago[2], a leading no-kill animal shelter, to provide animals with access to safe living conditions through every coat sold. Mendel discovered PAWS Chicago through her partner Billy Corgan, lead singer of Smashing Pumpkins[3], and ever since, the shelter has been the designer’s happy place. The best part is that #BuyACoatSaveAPuppy will always be a part of Maison Atia’s mission. The coats, which are adored by celebrities like Kate Moss, are equally furry and adorable—this season’s vibrant styles were inspired by pop artist Robert Indiana. “I imagine these coats inside the incredible closet of Diana Vreeland[4], whose style was as timeless as she was,” says Mendel.

The Genevieve coat in canary

How did the campaign come about?

Having adopted four pets from PAWS Chicago, it only felt natural to partner with this charity that changed my life for the better. With every coat sold, we provide a homeless pet free transportation to a no-kill shelter with the help of PAWS Chicago. You don’t think about it, but the costs of the transportation are a financial weight.

Where do the proceeds go?

PAWS puts great effort into transporting pets from disaster relief areas nationwide to their fantastic medical center in Chicago, and then placing them into great homes for life. Every faux fur coat we sell covers this cost.

What makes Maison Atia so special?

I am a sixth-generation furrier, so the vernacular of a furrier runs through my veins. As I started to shop for faux fur for myself, I didn’t understand why there wasn’t a faux fur option that I thought was chic. I saw so much potential in this new material, and I knew I could transform faux fur.

Do you have a favorite from the fall/winter collection?

My favorite coat is the Genevieve trench. It is bold and chic, but also feels cozy. I didn’t realize when I designed it that the world would be turned upside down and that we would all look for comfort for our bodies and souls, but here it is!

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