Hedi Slimane - Designer, Creative Director of Celine

[PDFSD]

Totally see this more likely as well Hedi stays and the CEO changes.

Knowing that CEO´s last 10 year orso love to be the known stars as well for the success of brand rehauls and results.

There is also something we might forget that is a tug of war often silently but very much present between to sides in fashion brands but not exclusively :

Corporate side and the creative department : the business side often see creatives as replaceable crazy divas and feel that the real savvy part of the succes is actually the business side is the brainchild of the operation, as many people part of the corporate side are form high prestigious colleges and or fancy families, creatives are seen as just factory workers with imagination.

This reflects often in salaries and benefits of the different departments as well as internal pushbacks when creatives are not or slightly meeting press and /or sales targets and hype etc ...you always hear and see corporate taking more creative control as well ....including the merchandiser that also believe they are guru´s of fashion success .and last but not least the oso important communication and marketing department in the corporate hierarchy before you go down hill with the CD and design teams at the top of the end of ladar.

Of course there are plenty mediocre creatives /CD´s out there, but you see it happen to even the most successful CD´s this power play with in brands.

 

[Grets]

What's noticeably different is Michael Burke is the Chairman of Celine (along with many other houses including Givenchy, Fendi, Loewe, Marc Jacobs, Pucci, etc) taking this role January 2024. Burke is replacing Sidney Toledano, who was formerly CEO of LV. Hedi has history with Sidney Toledano since working with him at Dior Homme and again joined him at Celine, perhaps this era is coming to an end with Burke. Recently Michael Burke told WWD since taking this role

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Burke, Sidney Toledano Take New Roles at LVMH

Michael Burke is to succeed Sidney Toledano at the head of LVMH Fashion Group, effective Feb. 1, and Toledano becomes advisor to Bernard Arnault.

wwd.com

“A number of the Fashion Group houses now have enough depth and enough heft to be more into risk-taking when it comes to people. That means hiring people, training them and getting them ready for the biggest jobs in the group,” he said. Does that foretell a host of high-level changes at brands under his purview? “Not more than necessary,” Burke replied with a smile. “We don’t reposition all brands simultaneously. There is a certain amount of sequencing so that we can do it in depth.
“At any given time, there’s one or two houses that are in need of repositioning, rebuilding, re-dimensioning or redirecting, and with what Sidney has achieved, we now have more freedom to do that.” In his view, the brands under his purview will need more TLC, of the bespoke variety. “When you’re in a group as successful as LVMH, you can become a little risk-adverse, because we have a number of formulas that work. And we can at times fall back too much on formulas. What will make these houses successful is remaining true to their iconic status, remaining true to their origins, remaining true to the specificities of each house,” Burke explained.

 

[LadyJunon]

This analysis on the rumours of Hedi Slimane's departure is very interesting:

They mirror @Lola701 and @PDFSD by theorising that the issue is more of a power struggle between Hedi and the executives rather than an issue with the brand's actual performance. Their only fault is directly targeting Arnault (Fashion Roadman has a strong vendetta towards him), when it's most likely an internal issue with Merle and Co.

 

[Olaffo]

Well Ralph Lauren announced that Michael Rider is leaving Polo at the end of May…

 

[The Byron Boy]

Hedi for Patou!

 

[gallianostan]

Well Ralph Lauren announced that Michael Rider is leaving Polo at the end of May…

loooooool so the rumours really were true. this must have been voluntary because i can't see LVMH firing him when he's brought so much success

 

[Grets]

LVMH betting on the success of Ralph Lauren's quiet luxury/old money Americana style but quiet luxury will be on its way out, if not out the door by the time Michael Rider delivers a collection

 

[NYLA22]

loooooool so the rumours really were true. this must have been voluntary because i can't see LVMH firing him when he's brought so much success

I am so curious what fraction of Hedi's salary he will wind up getting 😬

 

[Lola701]

LVMH betting on the success of Ralph Lauren's quiet luxury/old money Americana style but quiet luxury will be on its way out, if not out the door by the time Michael Rider delivers a collection

If we are being totally honest, Celine is an elevated version of Ralph Lauren for La Parisienne.
Michael coming from Celine under Phoebe may fit perfectly into the equation.

The problem with Celine will not be about design (We are not going to act like Hedi is the blessing in design) but about creative direction and maintaining high standards.

LVMH getting close to someone from Ralph Lauren would actually mean that they are very aware of the positioning of the house.

 

[gallianostan]

If we are being totally honest, Celine is an elevated version of Ralph Lauren for La Parisienne.

this is quite possibly the best and most accurate description of celine i've ever heard lol

 

[yslforever]

this is quite possibly the best and most accurate description of celine i've ever heard lol

I think that was the intention from the start of Hedi's tenure ? A luxury/lifestyle brand.
For women, he never served "fashion", but a beautifully curated wardrobe of very well-made clothes, with a lot, really a lot, of it bags... and a very strong brand image.
"Celine Homme" was more his pet project, but now there is a full wardrobe for mens too, you can dress male bankers in Celine...

 

[Salvatore]

So it's happening ?!?

 

[PDFSD]

sad :-( it will be a Saint Laurent AV 2.0 joke again post Hedi...Michael must be a nice guy but by his effort at RL i don't have have high hope for a strong high image or style he seems to be forever into his drape loose causal eclectic vibe borderline nomadic ala lemaire and haider but more shabby.

then he will try to bring his old celine memories back and it will be a frankenstein of old and new celine great !!!!! 🙊 🙈🙉

 

[The Byron Boy]

Hedi for Patou!

No, hear me out. Aren't they trying to revive Patou? Hedi would be perfect for it. Like, this Catherine Deneuve 1960s Patou dress gives me Hedi vibes, he can do it.



On a more serious note, I would prefer for him to just found his own house. I would love it.

 

[SpeedRacer666]

So much talk about his departure yet they just dropped a press release for a capsule collection citing Slimane's name throughout.

CELINE Surf Is More Than Boards (But There Is a CELINE Surfboard) (EXCLUSIVE)

Although the men's show still not being released is curious. I wonder if they'd be forced to also discontinue the fragrances/beauty/candles? It's all so personal and closely tied to Hedi.

 

[gallianostan]

So much talk about his departure yet they just dropped a press release for a capsule collection citing Slimane's name throughout.

really don't think that means anything lmao, that's just a formality. i'm pretty certain he's leaving

 

[NoInvite]

Hedi already sets a strong merch structure for the store as long as the products are there I think they will be ok for 2-3 years.
Now in terms of visuals. Who do you think will be the art director and photographer? It's the thing that sets Hedi apart from the rest. Karl Templer and McDean kind of combo perhaps? Thinking about it makes me sad, I will miss the campaigns

 

[vn varenne]

Apparently Michael Burke stepped down from his role after 4 months and Toledano is taking his old spot. I wonder if this could influence Hedi future at Celine, considering his history with Sidney.

 

[Grets]

LVMH leadership is just as much up in the air as the designers. Who knows if Toledano comes back to make amends with Hedi, heck maybe even Galliano comes back.