Hedi Slimane leaves Celine after almost seven years as creative director, the house confirmed on Wednesday. Slimane was first appointed to lead Celine in January 2018, following the successful run by Phoebe Philo.
From Céline to Celine
He soon put his stamp on the house, controversially changing the name and logo to more closely resemble the house’s original 1960s design by dropping the accent on the e (a move that came after Slimane had famously renamed Yves Saint Laurent to simply Saint Laurent in 2012).
For Slimane it was the first step in establishing a new creative identity for the house, which was more deeply rooted in French heritage and harked back to the heyday of the 60s and 70s. In addition, he launched a new hero bag, the Triomphe, which revived an emblem from the house’s archives, first introduced by founder Celine Vipiana in the 70’s.
This creative vision was on display then Hedi Slimane showed a surprising digital show on Sunday during Paris Fashion Week, his latest collection for the house. The show, titled Un Été Francaiswas a tribute to the French It girls of the 1960s, including Françoise Hardy, Jane Birkin and Juliette Gréco.
Hedi Slimane made Celine rise to great heights
Under Slimane’s watchful eye, Celine has grown enormously, with brand sales almost tripling since he became creative directorsurpassing the impressive €2 billion milestone in 2023, according to parent company LVMH.
He has also expanded the house into menswear, perfumes and, most recently, makeup, debuting a line of lipsticks earlier this year.
Is Hedi Slimane going to Chanel?
Slimane’s departure comes as rumors swirl that the star designer could be in the running for the position of creative director at Chanelwhich has been without a designer since the departure of Virginie Viard in June.
Celine thanked Slimane for his contribution and his legacy. “Hedi Slimane’s holistic vision, his demanding and rigor have made it possible to redefine Celine’s codes while reaffirming its feminine and Parisian roots,” the house said in a statement. ‘The extraordinary journey of the past seven years has made Celine a house with a formidable foundation for the future.’
