Coronavirus or not, some things never change. Hedi Slimane‘s obsession with youth culture, his penchant for big shows with pulsating soundtracks and electrifying light play, and his haters-be-damned, love-it-or-hate-it convictions all remain fully intact and on display in this new SS21 men’s collection for Celine.
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Here, he zoomed in on skatewear and festival gear—the uniform of Gen Z, TikTok stars and E-Boys. The collection’s name, The Dancing Kid, was a nod to the musical and choreographic creativity those teens have shown on that platform especially during the recent lockdowns. Aesthetic-wise, it was a complete departure from the haute bourgeois look he has established for Celine over the past several seasons—but not one entirely unfamiliar as he has riffed on these same codes during his Dior Homme and Saint Laurent days.
To a new 15-minute edit of Tiagz’ ‘They Call Me Tiago’—the original itself is a TikTok mainstay—out came tracksuits, tie-dye tees, grungy oversized shirts and cardigans, frayed jeans galore, bucket hats, skate shoes and high-tops. Slimane also amped up the blatant branding, on both bags and underwear—the latter a foreseeably lucrative new category.
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It was a literal, accurate reflection of what the youth is wearing especially now that they are mostly confined to their bedrooms and backyards—their only connection to the outside world being their phone. But still, one can’t help wondering what a thrill it would have been to see someone like Slimane—with his uncompromising vision and his LVMH-backed resources—reimagine a new fashion vocabulary rather than retread familiar ground.
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