Creative leadership change at LVMH-backed Celine
After seven years as creative director of Céline, Hedi Slimane has left the brand, marking the latest high-profile departure from a fashion label. LVMH has already named Michael Rider as Slimane's successor
“Under his creative and artistic direction [Hedi Slimane], Celine has experienced exceptional growth and established itself as an iconic French couture house. The extraordinary journey taken together over the last seven years has made Celine a house with a formidable foundation for the future”, said the brand in a statement.
Slimane was appointed artistic, creative and image director of Celine in February 2018, following the departure of Phoebe Philo. He previously worked at Yves Saint Laurent and Dior.
At Celine, he caught everyone’s attention from the start, dropping the accent over the ‘e’ in Céline and introducing a new logo before his first show. He also introduced a menswear line at Celine, as well as fragrances and makeup. During his tenure, the brand’s sales rose from just under 1 billion euros to 2.6 billion euros by 2023, making it LVMH’s third-largest fashion brand after Louis Vuitton and Dior.
Shortly afterwards, Celine announced on LinkedIn the appointment of Michael Rider as creative director of the brand. In May, Polo Ralph Lauren announced that Rider would be leaving his role as creative director after joining the brand in 2018. He was previously design director at Celine, where he worked for nearly ten years under Phoebe Philo, the label’s former creative director.
Image Credits: fashionjournal.com.au