Michael Rider is the new artistic director of Celine

The rumors have been confirmed: Hedi Slimane will leave Celine. After seven years leading the brand and a complete repositioning of it, the cult designer who popularized skinny jeans and revived the Indie Sleaze trend is leaving the brand following rumors of friction with LVMH's top management. Meanwhile, the brand has announced Michael Rider as the new artistic director, succeeding Hedi Slimane. Rider will begin his role in early 2025, marking a significant return for the American designer to the French house. Rider already has a deep connection with Celine, having held the position of ready-to-wear design director from 2008 to 2018, during the Phoebe Philo era. With an academic background at Brown University, Rider also worked as a senior designer for Balenciaga from 2004 to 2008. More recently, he was creative director of Polo Ralph Lauren, but now returns to Celine at a key moment for the brand. LVMH's decision to entrust Rider with Celine's future reflects the group's desire to capitalize on the brand's current success, maintaining the course set by Slimane. Under his leadership, Celine also exploded commercially. In 2018, Bernard Arnault set the goal of achieving a turnover of 2-3 billion euros within five years. Thanks to the introduction of fragrance collections in 2019 and the launch of makeup, sales surpassed 2.6 billion euros in 2023, making Celine one of LVMH's most important fashion brands, after Louis Vuitton and Dior. 

Slimane's future remains uncertain, although there is speculation about his possible arrival as Chanel's new creative director, as the brand is currently searching for new leadership. During Paris Fashion Week, Slimane presented another film for the SS25 women's collection titled Un Été Français, fueling speculations about a possible future at Chanel, which is currently seeking a new creative director, although it’s unclear if the collection was a sort of “audition” or a subtle jab at the brand, from which he is rumored to have been rejected due to creative control issues. His departure from Celine marks the end of an era for the brand, which now (we’re ready to bet on it) will not undergo a radical reinvention but rather grow from the blank slate Slimane created, wiping out the unforgettable yet niche aesthetic of Phoebe Philo. It remains to be seen what Slimane's next move will be, but the fashion world is watching closely the future of one of the most influential and controversial designers of our time.