Celine released its winter 2024 menswear collection, again in video format, on Tuesday. Filmed in the Mojave Desert and scored by Berlioz’ Symphonie Fantastique, the 14-minute clip juxtaposes shots of vintage Cadillacs, tailored looks inspired by 1960s Anglomania (complete with mop haircuts, dark sunglasses and skinny ties) and shots of a young cowboy recalling iconic TV Westerns of the period.
The “Symphonie Fantastique” video is the first menswear collection to be shown by Celine since a video released last November. Celine sat out Paris’ autumn-winter mens and womenswear weeks as creative director Hedi Slimane and teams worked to produce big-budget collection videos including a similarly 60s-inflected womenswear film, which was released in mid-March.
The fashion films showcase Slimane’s deft skill as a stylist and photographer and have created an ultra-coherent image for Celine as it grew rapidly in recent years to become owner LVMH’s third-biggest fashion brand after Louis Vuitton and Dior.
But delays in releasing collections and a continued preference for videos over more bankable, in-person happenings at fashion week have fuelled speculation of an increasingly strained relationship between Slimane and the luxury group controlled by chairman Bernard Arnault.
Industry sources say LVMH has been locked in months of thorny contract negotiations with Slimane that could ultimately lead to the idiosyncratic talent’s exit from the group.
Celine declined to comment on Slimane’s contract.
Learn more:
The Other Side of Hedi Slimane
The designer has always been an arch perfectionist, a quality that has been central to his success but which clashes with the demands on creative directors today, writes Imran Amed.
Disclosure: LVMH is part of a group of investors who, together, hold a minority interest in The Business of Fashion. All investors have signed shareholders’ documentation guaranteeing BoF’s complete editorial independence.
