Hedi Slimane To Join Céline and Debut First Menswear Collection

Storied designer Hedi Slimane is joining Céline to launch the brand's menswear collection, along with couture and frangrances.

French born designer Hedi Slimane during his Saint Laurent tenure.
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Image via Martin Bureau/AFP/Getty Images

French born designer Hedi Slimane during his Saint Laurent tenure.

Celebrated designer and trendsetter Hedi Slimane is joining the ranks at Céline as its new artistic, creative and image director and will build the label's first-ever menswear, couture and fragrance lines. The French designer is to replace Phoebe Philo, who confirmed her resignation from the brand in December 2017 after a 10-year run with the fashion house.

According to WWD, Slimane is joining LVMH-brand on Feb. 1 and will unveil his first fashion collection for men and women during Paris Fashion Week next September. “I am particularly happy that Hedi is back within the LVMH Group and taking the creative reins of our Céline maison,” said Bernard Arnault, chairman and ceo of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. “[He is] one of the most talented designers of our time."

He first captivated the fashion industry while working as the menswear director at Yves Saint Laurent in 1996. In 2000, he joined Christian Dior, where he built Dior Homme until 2007. During his tenure at Dior, he popularized the "skinny" silhouette that's now become a staple trend in menswear (Slimane's skinny suit trend is  the reason behind Karl Lagerfeld's 90-pound weight loss.) In 2012, Slimane came back to Saint Laurent (to the dismay of those not pleased with his decision to drop "Yves" from its name) to lead the brand’s womenswear and menswear labels. He stayed with the brand until 2016.

Aside from his technical credentials, Slimane is somewhat of a tastemaker in the music and pop culture realms. He designed Brad Pitt's wedding tux before his nuptials to Jennifer Aniston. On top of dressing the likes of Harry Styles, Cara Delevingne, Rita Ora, and Kate Moss, Slimane helped to nearly doubled Saint Laurent's parent company Kering’s (Saint Laurent’s parent company) revenue since being appointment as creative director.

LVMH is confident that, with Slimane on board, Céline will be able to replicate the same success. Céline menswear is expecting to rollout in 2019.

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