The difficulty of the new Celine brand director

In fashion, harmony alone does not suffice. What the industry craves is a distinct vision. Michael Rider may be maintaining a steady flame, but what is needed is a blazing torch.

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If Phoebe Philo’s modern minimalism is the moon, then Hedi Slimane’s rebellious rock & roll is the sun. For a brand that made waves under Philo’s visionary hand and then thrived commercially with Slimane, playing it safe could be its greatest risk.

Phoebe Philo transformed Celine into a beacon of intellectual fashion and subtle feminism. During her tenure from 2008 to 2017, she not only redefined minimalism but also conjured a lifestyle for the modern woman: intelligent, independent and unpretentious. Under Philo, the brand transcended fashion to become an ideology, where every seam and space bore significance and every design made women feel truly seen.

Hedi Slimane did the unthinkable, propelling Celine from a quiet corner of the market to one of LVMH’s crown jewels, with revenues nearing three billion euros. Yet his transformation came at a cost: he erased all traces of the Philo era, recasting Celine as a stark, commercialised rock-bourgeois empire. He also thrust the brand onto the Cannes red carpet and countless events previously untouched, elevating the logo’s public presence and maximising media exposure.

Not to mention former creative director Michael Kors, who paved the way for Celine to enter the luxury ready-to-wear market, stabilising sales after the brand lost its founder.

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When Michael Rider took the helm, he inherited not only a well-oiled machine but also a daunting challenge: to prevent sales from slipping while opening a fresh chapter bold enough to stand apart from his predecessors.

True success for a fashion house isn’t measured solely by the volume of bags sold. Phoebe Philo achieved something rare; she transformed Celine into an ideology for intelligent, independent and reserved women. Hedi Slimane, meanwhile, crafted a definitive aesthetic creed, despite stirring controversy.

And what of Michael Rider? Many insiders and critics describe him as “product-oriented”, someone who understands the product but may not be able to create an icon. This is the greatest challenge: without a cultural identity, Celine risks fading from memory, no matter how strong its revenues.

The year 2025 is far from easy for any label (prada is making a comeback; LOEWE remains at the forefront of new aesthetics under former creative director Jonathan Anderson; Louis Vuitton pushes boundaries; Saint Laurent embraces colour thanks to Anthony Vaccarello’s daring choices; Valentino, Gucci and Balenciaga show great promise under renowned new creative leads. In this fierce climate, if Celine cannot define its own voice, even if Rider performs competently, the brand will slowly become... invisible.

More concerning are signs of decline in the service experience, a crucial factor in luxury. Once defined by personalised attention, Celine is shifting towards mass processing. The brand that used to connect through eye contact and thoughtful gestures now answers customers via... email.

Michael Rider has yet to fail, but equally he has not persuaded the public he embodies Celine’s new spirit. He appears to be “sitting still,” perhaps preparing a major statement, or simply treading cautiously. Yet fashion is no place for hesitation. You either command attention or vanish amidst the noise.

If Rider does not ignite a fire that consumes him, he will remain a candlelighter, not a torchbearer. And for a heritage brand like Celine, one candle will never suffice.

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