Future Perspective of Celine

Future perspectives of Celine

It has been a thrilling period for the fashion industry since Céline announced the changes in its headquarters earlier this year. After a decade of Phoebe Philo’s unshakeable reign at the French fashion powerhouse, Hedi Slimane was chosen to take over the brand last January, leaving behind a half year filled with speculations and predictions on which direction he’s going to take at Céline. With his first show less than a month away, Slimane shared the very first results of his six-month renovation in silence.

It included a take-back of brand’s original logo from 1960s, with the accent on ‘E’ eliminated and lengthened font, followed by a strong statement attempt to let go of the past by erasing all of the previous posts on brand’s Instagram account. In addition, all campaign posts released by the label had #CelinebyHediSlimane tag typed along. These changes received contrasting reactions, especially by the the former creative director’s fans, known as the Philophiles, that were fast to liken Philo’s departure to an end of brand’s greatness, while others where excited to see a new approach to the label after ten years.

By all indications, the announcement meant to reassure us - now it is Hedi’s world. No matter the feedback, it is expected that Slimane’s previous success in Dior Home and Saint Laurent will follow him to Céline, even if his visual identity greatly differs from that of his predecessor.

Slimane, with positive history at hand, is thought to be an equal force to Phoebe Philo, who turned Céline into fashion’s authority after joining in 2008, with her efforts tripling the brand’s profits over the years. Miraculous is not the right term to measure the influence that Philo has had at Céline, as she turned the brand into a powerhouse for leather accessories, must-have handbags that were often sold out before they even hit the stores and utterly creative ready-to-wear pieces.

It is debated whether Slimane will manage to arrive to the point that tops Phoebe’s achievements, however, as of now, he is said to be very respectful of the brand’s history, only doing exactly what he was hired to do, instilling his own vision to the brand, just as Philo...