Photo&col;Courtesy of Celine
The creative director game of musical chairs continues: Hedi Slimane is leaving Celine after seven years at the helm, the brand confirmed Wednesday morning. His successor will be Michael Rider, an alumnus of “Old Céline” and former creative director of women’s wear at Polo Ralph Lauren.
Rider said in a statement: “Celine is a brand whose values and heritage are close to my heart. I am honored to be back and shape the future of the brand with the Celine team.” As artistic director, he will have overall responsibility, according to the brand Creations for all Celine collections including womenswear, menswear, leather goods, accessories and haute couture. His appointment will take effect in early 2025.
“Under his creative and artistic direction, Celine has experienced extraordinary growth and become an iconic French fashion house,” Celine said of Slimane in a press release. “Hedi Slimane’s holistic vision, his rigor and rigor allow Celine to redefine norms while reaffirming its feminine and Parisian roots.” Slimane’s latest Celine collection, Spring 2025, was released digitally this week.
Slimane joined LVMH’s brands in 2018, succeeding Phoebe Philo as creative director. He soon made a rather drastic change: he deleted the accent on the first “e” in Celine (thus creating a clear old Céline/new Celine line). Stylistically, he brought to the French fashion house the distinctive looks he established while working at Dior Homme and Saint Laurent, designing square-neck cropped jackets, slim jeans, loose shirts and body-hugging mini dresses primarily for slender figures. , Celine uniform.
Slimane exerts tremendous creative control over the images released by the brand. (He is also a photographer himself, responsible for most of his advertising campaigns, lookbooks and films.) He is famously reclusive, rarely giving interviews and preferring to present his collections away from the catwalk. Despite this, under his creative leadership the business has grown significantly, with annual sales exceeding €2 billion. fashion business. The company launched menswear and fragrances during his tenure and recently announced a beauty line to launch in early 2025.
Photo&col;Robert Smith/Patrick McMullan/Getty Images
Despite running successfully, fashion business The designer had reportedly been engaged in “tricky contract negotiations” with LVMH in the months before his exit. Then, WWD It is revealed that the group has selected Rider as Slimane’s rumored successor. (Lauren Sherman reported in Line Sheet that Rider left Ralph Lauren in May.)
Now that Rider’s appointment has been confirmed, it effectively means the return of the designer: from 2008 to 2018, he served as the brand’s ready-to-wear design director under Philo. started his own fashion career.
“I am delighted to welcome Michael back to Celine, a brand he knows so well,” Celine CEO Severine Merle said in a statement. “Michael brings his vision, creative talent, genuine character and closeness to Celine’s heritage. connections, making him a natural choice to continue building lasting success for the brand.”
As for what Slimane’s departure means for his famous muse? The writing is on the wall for Blackpink’s Lisa, who has recently begun wearing Louis Vuitton clothing in large numbers and was subsequently announced as an official ambassador in July of this year. Now, all eyes are on Ryder to see what celebrity connections he makes in his new role.
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