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Aghion paid homage to his family lineage, particularly his
mother, Gaby Aghion, who founded the fashion house Chloé, after
he was awarded the Nobel memorial prize in economics on Monday.
The 69-year-old economics professor's mother was credited with
pioneering Parisian ready-to-wear as a freer, more feminine
alternative to haute couture.
“I grew up with innovators. I mean, she (my mother) invented
luxury ready-to-wear,” Aghion said in an exclusive interview
with The Associated Press from his apartment in Paris’ Latin
Quarter. He shared this year’s prize with Joel Mokyr of
Northwestern University and Peter Howitt of Brown University for
research that redefined how technological change drives
prosperity.
Nearby, a table piled with books on art and liberty reflected
the world that continues to inspire his pursuit of economic
freedom.
“Before, there was all haute couture but luxury ready-to-wear
didn’t exist,” Aghion said. "So in fact, with Chloé, she
invented that. She had a vision of how women should be free and
she should not change clothes four times a day. She had a vision
of free, of emancipated women.”
Aghion recalled a childhood surrounded by artists — including
designer Karl Lagerfeld, who “used to do my homework in German.”
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