Hedi Slimane Leaves Celine, But His Influence Will Remain Forever

With Paris Fashion Week wrapping up, the fashion industry is mourning more than just the end of the season. After nearly seven years serving as the artistic, creative, and image director of Celine, Hedi Slimane is bidding farewell to the brand — and we are saying goodbye to the creative partnership of the decade.

The French designer, who took the reins from Phoebe Philo back in 2018, is known for reimagining labels. In addition to his work at Celine, Slimane has spent his career shifting the trajectory of major fashion Houses, designing revolutionary collections (never forget the Dior Homme skinny silhouette) and reviving brand identities (cutting “Yves” from Saint Laurent, of course). Now, as he steps away from his current position, we eagerly await news of his forthcoming plans — for if his past is any indication for his future, it is safe to say he will leave his mark on any endeavour he takes on.

As we wait to see what brand might be next in line to get the Slimane treatment, we take a look at the choices he made during his time at Celine that altered the Maison forever — from taking the logo back to its 1960s roots to charting a fresh future for decades to come. Keep reading for more…

His first order of business? Dropping the accent on the “é” in Céline, as it was formerly known. Citing the brand’s early collections of the 1960s as inspiration, where the accent was an infrequent addition, he transformed the logo into a timeless yet modern statement, using 1930s typography and narrow lettering. “The new logo has been directly inspired by the original, historical version that existed in the 1960s,” the label revealed on Instagram with the announcement of the new Celine. “The accent on the ‘E’ has been removed to enable a simplified and more balanced proportion.”

It is difficult to remember a time when Celine didn’t offer menswear, but it wasn’t actually all that long ago. Under Slimane, the brand introduced their first menswear collection in 2018, presented alongside their womenswear counterpart in a show that ushered in a new era for Celine, one which has grown throughout the years. Most recently, Slimane presented the SS25 collection with a film titled Bright Young Things, shot at an 18th century mansion in the English countryside. What will the future of Celine Homme look like without Slimane at its centre? Only time will tell.

Speaking of fashion films, it was Slimane who brought this artistic medium to the Maison. Focusing on an holistic artistic approach to each collection, he supplemented or replaced runways with short films, placing his looks in the context of an 18th century mansion (see above) or the Monte Carlo Opera Garnier. One of our favourites is their most recent, a film titled Un Été Français and released just last week. Set to “Femme Fatale” by The Velvet Underground and Nico, it brings the 1960s to the Château de Compiègne for a dramatic and dreamy summertime fairytale.

Back in 2019, Slimane reintroduced fragrance to Celine for the first time in half a century — so you not only can look like a Celine Girl, but smell like one too. Years later — in fact, just this past March — he followed this up with a makeup line: Celine Beauté. For such, he presented the perfect red lipstick, a French necessity.

With all of these new endeavours, Celine’s revenues skyrocketed — moving the label up in the ranks to sit proudly as the third largest fashion brand at LVMH. Speaking on the creative director’s influence, the conglomerate shared: “Under his creative and artistic direction, Celine has experienced exceptional growth and established itself as an iconic French couture house. The extraordinary journey taken together over the last seven years has made Celine a house with a formidable foundation for the future.” Okay, we’re crying. But every end of an era means the start of something new, and we’re excited to see what’s next for both Celine and Hedi Slimane.