Michael Rider Will Replace Hedi Slimane at Celine
The appointment was officially confirmed by LVMH yesterday.
By Joel Calfee - published
After six years, Hedi Slimane is leaving Celine. His run as creative director has been marked by strong growth and evolution for the French fashion house, which included the introduction of a new It bag–the Triomphe–as well as a new, youthful following that fell hard for Slimane’s perfect denim, logo baseball hats, and cool, classic outerwear.
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The news was revealed through a statement from parent company Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (LVMH). “Under his creative and artistic direction, Celine has experienced exceptional growth and established itself as an iconic French couture house,” the statement read. “The holistic vision of Hedi Slimane, his exigence and rigour have made it possible to redefine the codes of Celine whilst reaffirming its feminine and Parisian roots. He has also remarkably enriched new territories for the maison such as the men’s silhouette, couture, and haute parfumerie. The extraordinary journey taken together over the last seven years has made Celine a house with a formidable foundation for the future.”
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Slimane’s replacement is New York-based designer Michael Rider, whose most recent role was Senior Brand Creative Director of Women’s for Polo Ralph Lauren and who is also a Celine alum. Rider worked at the house as design director of ready-to-wear under Phoebe Philo from 2008 to 2018. Prior to that, he was a senior designer at Balenciaga from 2004 to 2008. In a statement, Rider said, “Celine is a maison with values very close to my heart and a beautiful heritage to build on. I am honoured to come back and shape the future of the maison together with the Celine team.”
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The game of creative director musical chairs has really been popping off over the last year. Major changes have occurred at many top luxury houses, including Gucci, Chloe, Valentino, McQueen, Dries Van Noten, and now Celine. While a few of the players have been recognisable names, there has been a trend of appointing some lesser-known creative heads, those who’ve spent the majority of their careers behind the scenes at a luxury house. This is another example of a move to hire someone with a completely fresh take, someone who might be able to bring a new perspective or steer the heritage codes in a different direction. Slimane has left an indelible mark on the Celine brand, especially having taken over from Philo, whose era at the house was one of the most important and influential in modern fashion. It will be interesting to see how Rider makes his own imprint, perhaps adding a sense of American-born style to the very Parisian halls of the house of Celine.
This article originally appeared in Harper’s BAZAAR US.