Hedi Slimane - Designer, Creative Director of Celine

[GivenchyAddict]

They did the right thing. Not so long ago LV HQ were invaded by people.

Bernard Arnault is a bit the big enemy of the masses so no need to stir the pot with a show, after party etc.

 

[Tchi]

Hedi chose the tasteful option. Chapeau!

 

[LadyJunon]

It makes sense…
Tbh from a political POV, having a fashion show, an after-party that will generate a lot of media attention in this climate would be in very bad taste…

And If I remember, La Gaité Lyrique is not far from Les Halles and that whole area where there were lootings and stuff.

There’s a potential risk of having a big event at night, so he was clever.

‘Maybe he needs to film the show and release the images. It will be too complicated to postpone the show due to Couture week.

La Chambre Syndicale needs to see how they will handle this week.

I can’t blame Hedi for being responsible.

I doubt that most of these houses will cancel so close to the show day, but I put together a list of each designer/house showing from Sunday onwards with any potential risks they'll have:
02.07
Patou²
Alaïa⁴
03.07
Schiaparelli⁴
Julie de Libran
Iris Van Herpen
Georges Hobeika
Christian Dior¹
Rahul Mishra
Thom Browne⁴
Charles De Vilmorin
Giambattista Valli⁴
04.07
Chanel³
Alexis Mabille
Stéphane Rolland
Julien Fournié
Alexandre Vauthier
RVDK Roland van der Kemp
Giorgio Armani Privé³
05.07
Yuima Nakazato
Franck Sorbier
Balenciaga³
Elie Saab
Jean Paul Gaultier⁴
Viktor and Rolf⁴
Zuhair Murad
Valentino⁵
06.07
Ashi Studio
Imane Ayissi
Juana Martin
Aelis
Fendi¹
Gaurav Gupta
Maison Sara Chraibi
Adeline André

The houses marked in blue will the least likely to attacked during the protests, due to their relative obscurity beyond the industry.

¹ These houses are most likely to be attacked solely because of a combination of their large size and their well known link to Arnault.
² Patou is much more obscure, but the LVMH link is still a risk factor.
³ Chanel, Armani and Balenciaga are not attached to LVMH, but their size and visibility is a big risk factor.
⁴ While these houses are sizable, they're still relatively obscure.
⁵ Valentino is showing in Chantilly, outside of Metropolitan Paris.

Also, I sure that Mulier and the Alaïa PR team are punching the air right now.

 

[Lola701]

I doubt that most of these houses will cancel so close to the show day, but I put together a list of each designer/house showing from Sunday onwards with any potential risks they'll have:
02.07
Patou²
Alaïa⁴
03.07
Schiaparelli⁴
Julie de Libran
Iris Van Herpen
Georges Hobeika
Christian Dior¹
Rahul Mishra
Thom Browne⁴
Charles De Vilmorin
Giambattista Valli⁴
04.07
Chanel³
Alexis Mabille
Stéphane Rolland
Julien Fournié
Alexandre Vauthier
RVDK Roland van der Kemp
Giorgio Armani Privé³
05.07
Yuima Nakazato
Franck Sorbier
Balenciaga³
Elie Saab
Jean Paul Gaultier⁴
Viktor and Rolf⁴
Zuhair Murad
Valentino⁵
06.07
Ashi Studio
Imane Ayissi
Juana Martin
Aelis
Fendi¹
Gaurav Gupta
Maison Sara Chraibi
Adeline André

The houses marked in blue will the least likely to attacked during the protests, due to their relative obscurity beyond the industry.

¹ These houses are most likely to be attacked solely because of a combination of their large size and their well known link to Arnault.
² Patou is much more obscure, but the LVMH link is still a risk factor.
³ Chanel, Armani and Balenciaga are not attached to LVMH, but their size and visibility is a big risk factor.
⁴ While these houses are sizable, they're still relatively obscure.
⁵ Valentino is showing in Chantilly, outside of Metropolitan Paris.

Also, I sure that Mulier and the Alaïa PR team are punching the air right now.

I mean the issue is not so much about being « attacked » because people know about the brand than putting people at risks and appear as totally disconnected from the reality.

Most of the Couture shows happens during daytime so, there’s less risks for commotion in Paris.
The perimeter of where the shows happens is very small. So it can happen…

‘The real issue for Hedi is for example the logistic and chaos of a fashion show at night. There are black cars everywhere and people just know there’s Fashion week. The people who attends those shows are recognizable…

The authorities are going to put a curfew I think.

Hedi was responsible. Maybe Alaia can manage to do it if it’s more intimate. They don’t have K-Pop brand ambassadors and all.

Nobody is going to Le Grand Palais éphémère at 10 a.m to attack the Chanel crowd.

It’s more a question of optics…
Having a lavish show, displaying luxury and encouraging frivolity wouldn’t be well received internationally…

There was a little situation in Paris not so far from where Hedi was supposed to hold his show but the real intense events are happening in the suburbs of Paris and other big cities like Marseille, Grenoble and all anyway…

 

[Tchi]

I still think it’s really not tasteful to put up a couture showcase in this climate. How much more detached from reality do you need to be? As for the couture shows I think they should be cancelled for good.

 

[yslforever]

I still think it’s really not tasteful to put up a couture showcase in this climate. How much more detached from reality do you need to be? As for the couture shows I think they should be cancelled for good.

It has been very quiet the last two nights, I can hear the Dior rehearsal for tomorrow from my place. I sincerely think Celine is overreacting or it's an excuse about the Alaia situation.

 

[Salvatore]

As for the couture shows I think they should be cancelled for good.

Why ?

 

[LadyJunon]

It has been very quiet the last two nights, I can hear the Dior rehearsal for tomorrow from my place. I sincerely think Celine is overreacting or it's an excuse about the Alaia situation.

I apologize that you have to deal with such horrific events (the Dior shows) so close to your house.

I'd think that but it doesn't make much sense, considering that Hedi has much more industry pull and influence than Alaïa, especially without Azzedine.

Meanwhile, Alaïa seems to be going full speed ahead with their show. Guests showing off their invitations (which are literally chairs) and the official Instagram account posting a teaser:


To add to that, the show is taking place on a public outside location.

Spoiler: Alaïa Show Location

The show is taking place on the Passerelle Léopold-Sédar-Senghor, which explains why postponing the show wasn't a possibility.

Source: Wikipédia

 

[yslforever]

I apologize that you have to deal with such horrific events (the Dior shows) so close to your house.

I'd think that but it doesn't make much sense, considering that Hedi has much more industry pull and influence than Alaïa, especially without Azzedine.
"

I think the horrific event will be the Dior collection, not the music . The decor around the Musée Rodin looks nice too.

Alaïa had huge press this week-end (the cover and the story in the Financial Times), they simply can't afford to pull or report the show, especially as it is an outside and public place for which they do need special permits, the cooperation of the local authorities, and good weather, whereas Celine can book another day, it's a just a theater/exhibition place...

 

[LostInNJ]

I still think it’s really not tasteful to put up a couture showcase in this climate. How much more detached from reality do you need to be? As for the couture shows I think they should be cancelled for good.

Should we cancel fashion shows period? Given all the talk about the climate and waste, I don't think any fashion show is doing much to rectify any of the problems of the world/be attached to reality. Just look at the last round of resort shows and the many locations around the globe they were presented in.

It has been very quiet the last two nights, I can hear the Dior rehearsal for tomorrow from my place. I sincerely think Celine is overreacting or it's an excuse about the Alaia situation.

Protecting their guests, and for to that effect, the many people that crowd outside of these shows to get a glimpse of their fave celebs is far les important, surely.

I think the horrific event will be the Dior collection, not the music . The decor around the Musée Rodin looks nice too.

Alaïa had huge press this week-end (the cover and the story in the Financial Times), they simply can't afford to pull or report the show, especially as it is an outside and public place for which they do need special permits, the cooperation of the local authorities, and good weather, whereas Celine can book another day, it's a just a theater/exhibition place...

Alaïa could easily pull the show. Special permits and the cooperation of local authorities are also needed for shows like Celine and Dior when they have massive crowds outside and need to coordinate arrivals and the safety of guests. Celine certainly isn't walking away from this without having put a serious dent in its finances from canceling. Guests have already been flown out/invitations sent/venues paid for etc.

 

[Tchi]

It has been very quiet the last two nights, I can hear the Dior rehearsal for tomorrow from my place. I sincerely think Celine is overreacting or it's an excuse about the Alaia situation.

I am sorry, I don't mean to come across as offensive, but did you go outside your neighborhood in the past 4 days? or did you read-listen to the news? Are you aware of whats going on? I mean it...
The response of a creative director, a Maison, a conglomerate to the riots today it is very important to me, it is not just a question of mere "security", canceling a show, it is a matter of awareness, where are we? Where is the youth going? What do we want to say?
When fashion is completely detached from the history of the society it is supposed to mirror then it becomes quickly stale.

Why ?

I find couture shows hardly inspiring or inspired, and the fact they they should be the vessel for total creative freedom because they are not meant to be "commercial" makes it even more grotesque...
I also find grotesque to make clothes for virtually no client;
I like formulas like JPG or Margiela's, almost everything else I find a bit saddening;

 

[avonlea002]

Where is the youth going?

I couldn't care less where that "youth" on the streets is going.

 

[yslforever]

I am sorry, I don't mean to come across as offensive, but did you go outside your neighborhood in the past 4 days? or did you read-listen to the news? Are you aware of whats going on? I mean it...
The response of a creative director, a Maison, a conglomerate to the riots today it is very important to me, it is not just a question of mere "security", canceling a show, it is a matter of awareness, where are we? Where is the youth going? What do we want to say?
When fashion is completely detached from the history of the society it is supposed to mirror then it becomes quickly stale.

I don't want to come across as offensive or insensitive too so I will answer; I have been quite over Paris those last 4 days yes, and the news channels are 24/24 on it too, I am aware of the death of the kid, the political reactions and the riots. There are definitely a lot of mingled issues, but I don't think fashion has any relevance in that matter. And is fashion really supposed to mirror the society ?
There are better tools to mirror a society than fashion, which IMHO has always been a very distorting mirror, with additional prisms like the obsession about youth, celebrity, money, shallowness...
Many houses will continue with their plans. And about conglomerates: what does it say about LVMH which cancels Celine but keeps Dior and Fendi ?

 

[Lola701]

It has been very quiet the last two nights, I can hear the Dior rehearsal for tomorrow from my place. I sincerely think Celine is overreacting or it's an excuse about the Alaia situation.

I don’t know if you realize it but there were lootings around Chatelet, which in this climate is a high risk area anyway…And which is very close to La Gaite Lyrique.

I think that Hedi was just pragmatic. Having the choreography of black cars around that area, the crowd outside (because of the KPOP stars attached to the brand) and everything surrounding a fashion show can be sensibly difficult to handle.

Dior, Fendi and all shows in a different area, closer to the grands hotels. I can see that happen…

I still think it’s really not tasteful to put up a couture showcase in this climate. How much more detached from reality do you need to be? As for the couture shows I think they should be cancelled for good.

I don’t think they should because beyond the frivolous aspect of it, Fashion week is big part of the economy of the city in this period. Florists, bakeries, security companies…etc.

And people are still living in Paris anyway.
It’s terrible to say but it’s true…

That being said, from an international POV, having big lavish shows seems detached because all you see is chaos on TV. I really think that modesty should be expected…

‘But I think it should be a global effort: no bloggers parading in the streets of Paris, no outside photocalls, maybe less people invited…

The reality of the situation from a French perspective is also that the commotion caused by the murder of the young boy has made everything about it a bit unpopular.

 

[yslforever]

I don’t know if you realize it but there were lootings around Chatelet, which in this climate is a high risk area anyway…And which is very close to La Gaite Lyrique.

It happened one night in the Châtelet-Les Halles - which is usually not the most secure place due to the huge traffic of population, at 1 million people a day - not 4 consecutive nights. All the other shops were open the following morning.
I think people here want to resume a normal life asap, including the frivolous part of the normal life.

 

[Lola701]

It happened one night in the Châtelet-Les Halles - which is usually not the most secure place due to the huge traffic of population, at 1 million people a day - not 4 consecutive nights. All the other shops were open the following morning.
I think people here want to resume a normal life asap, including the frivolous part of the normal life.

Fair…
But that’s why I salute Hedi’s pragmatism and why also words matters: he used, cleverly, the word « unpredictable evolution » to describe his decision to cancel his show.

I don’t have a definitive opinion on Couture Week. I think we will analyze it a posteriori.

People work, life continue and shows happen during working hours anyway. What I think will be interesting is to see if after parties and night time events will still happen.

 

[Mutterlein]

I am sorry, I don't mean to come across as offensive, but did you go outside your neighborhood in the past 4 days? or did you read-listen to the news? Are you aware of whats going on? I mean it...
The response of a creative director, a Maison, a conglomerate to the riots today it is very important to me, it is not just a question of mere "security", canceling a show, it is a matter of awareness, where are we? Where is the youth going? What do we want to say?
When fashion is completely detached from the history of the society it is supposed to mirror then it becomes quickly stale.


I find couture shows hardly inspiring or inspired, and the fact they they should be the vessel for total creative freedom because they are not meant to be "commercial" makes it even more grotesque...
I also find grotesque to make clothes for virtually no client;
I like formulas like JPG or Margiela's, almost everything else I find a bit saddening;

amen

 

[SpeedRacer666]

With no postings to the brand's social media for over a week and the Couture shows carrying on as usual I can't help but wonder how much of this had to do with Hedi's ego.

 

[LadyJunon]

With no postings to the brand's social media for over a week and the Couture shows carrying on as usual I can't help but wonder how much of this had to do with Hedi's ego.

Who cares? All I know is that the cancellation cost Celine a lot of money and resources. Blackpink fans are moping to fashion magazines on social media too.

 

[tourbillions]

One of the negatives of wanting idols in shows so the stans can stan the brands as well. Most of these stans won't even turn into sales, not sure if the perfumes are in their price bracket either.But here they are spreading toxicitiy in every celine/slimane thread with endless "receipts". However would be interested to be proved wrong and see their Celine RTW/Leather goods collection.