Celine (brand)

History

Creation

In 1945, Céline Vipiana (1915–1997) and her husband, Richard, created one of the first luxury brands in the industry, Céline, a made-to-measure children's shoe business, and opened a first boutique at 52 rue Malte in Paris. The brand was recognised by its logo, the red elephant created by Raymont Peynet.

New positioning

In 1960, the brand altered its positioning by focusing its business on a ready-to-wear fashion brand for women.{{cite web |url=https://www.preview.ph/fashion/celine-fashion-brand-guide-profile-history-a5200-20240216|title= The Evolution of the French Luxury Fashion House Celine and Its Iconic Pieces Through the Years |date= February 16, 2024 |author= Isha Fojas|publisher= preview.ph|access-date=October 4, 2025 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251004161317/https://www.preview.ph/fashion/celine-fashion-brand-guide-profile-history-a5200-20240216 |archive-date=October 4, 2025 }} Henceforth, the brand specialized in leather goods such as bags, loafers, gloves, and garments. Céline Vipiana remained the designer from 1945 until her retirement in 1988. In 1964, the launch of the new fragrance "Vent fou" and the new "American Sulky" collection of accessories gained success. The trench coat and Céline handbags became chief products of the house. Throughout the 1960s, Céline became known for the quality of its leather, and opened a leather goods boutique in Florence.

In 1973, Céline redesigned the logo with the intertwined "C" Sulky canvas, linked to the Arc-de-Triomphe, which appeared as a symbol for Parisians. At that time, Céline began its expansion in the world with the opening of various boutiques in Monte Carlo, Geneva, Hong Kong, Lausanne, Toronto and Beverly Hills. The brand's founders wished to be part of a charitable association, and Richard Vipiana established the Céline-Pasteur Prize, a sponsor for the American Hospital of Paris in 1973.

Acquisition by LVMH

In 1987, with the approval of the Vipiana family, Bernard Arnault purchased a portion of Céline's capital. In 1996, the brand was integrated into the LVMH group for 2.7 billion French francs ($540 million). LVMH propelled the house to international fame with the opening of a flagship boutique at 36 avenue Montaigne in Paris.

Creative directors

Early years

• 1988–1997: Peggy Huynh Kinh
• 1997–2003: Michael Kors
• 2004–2005: Roberto Menichetti
• 2005–2008: Ivana Omazic

Phoebe Philo, 2008–2018

On September 4, 2008, the fashion portal Women's Wear Daily announced that Bernard Arnault, president of LVMH, had appointed Phoebe Philo as the new creative director of Céline. Philo's tenure at Céline began in October 2008. She presented her first ready-to-wear collection for Spring/Summer 2010 at Paris Fashion Week. Pierre-Yves Roussel, chief executive officer of LVMH’s fashion division, said that recruiting Philo was allowing her to express her vision. In 2009, Vogue Magazine defined her style as the “cool minimal trend”.

In 2010, Philo received the Designer of the Year award from British Fashion Council. In 2011, she was awarded International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America. Both prizes were awarded for her work at Céline. In December 2017, Philo announced her departure from Céline after finishing the Fall 2018 collection, which was presented in March of that same year.

Hedi Slimane, 2018–2024

On January 21, 2018, LVMH announced the appointment of Hedi Slimane as "artistic, creative and image director" in February. He directed all Céline collections, extending the brand's offering with the launch of men's fashion, couture, and fragrances.

Slimane's Céline studio was based in Los Angeles, with a prototype studio and an atelier in Paris. In September 2018, Slimane presented an updated Celine logo for the house. He created his retail flagship concept stores in Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Beverly Hills, Madrid, Milan and London. Slimane replaced the brand's traditional style with his signature "driven by youth culture, indie rock and sulking adolescence". Slimane exited the brand in October 2024.

Michael Rider, 2025–present

On October 2, 2024, Michael Rider was announced as the new creative director of Celine, set to join in early 2025. He will direct all Celine collections, ranging from leather goods to couture. Previously, Rider was the creative director for Ralph Lauren from 2018 to May 2024 and a senior designer for Balenciaga. He also worked as a design director at Celine during Phoebe Philo's tenure.

CEOs

• 2000–2006: Jean-Marc Loubier
• 2006–2008: Serge Brunschwig
• 2008–2016: Marco Gobbetti
• 2016–2017: Pierre-Yves Roussel (ad interim)
• 2017–present: Séverine Merle

Other activities

In 2000, Celine entered into a worldwide licensing agreement with De Rigo for its collection of sunglasses and frames for corrective eyewear. From 2011, the brand had a five-year licensing agreement with Safilo. From 2000 to 2011, Interparfums held the worldwide license for the development, creation, and distribution of Celine fragrance lines. The fragrance lines have since been managed in-house, beginning with Hedi Slimane's creative direction.

Retail

Celine operates 178 boutiques worldwide and is available through a selective network including the luxury department stores Bergdorf Goodman (New York), Harrods (London), and Galeries Lafayette (Paris).

Marketing

For its advertising campaigns, Celine has worked with notable photographers including Patrick Demarchelier (1998–2001) and Michael Thompson (2001). Its brand ambassadors have included singer Lisa (2020–2024), Park Bo-gum (since 2022; first actor global ambassador), singer V (since 2023), singer Danielle Marsh (since 2024), boy group TWS (since 2024), and actress Liu Shishi (since December 2024).

References

References

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2. Robert Murphy, [https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-house-that-celine-built-1427291901 The House That Céline Built] March 25, 2015
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7. [http://nymag.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/celine/ Celine] {{Webarchive. link. (2013-02-05 ''[[New York Magazine]]'')
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9. vogue.com [http://www.vogue.com/voguepedia/Celine Céline] {{Webarchive. link. (2014-07-19)
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19. [http://aboutus.michaelkors.com/bio.php Michael Kors Official biography] {{webarchive. link. (2008-06-07)
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28. Matthew Schneier (21 January 2018), [https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/21/fashion/hedi-slimane-celine-lvmh.html Hedi Slimane Taking the Reins at Céline] ''[[New York Times]]''.
29. Pithers, Ellie. "Céline Unveils A New Logo".
30. (2018-09-06). "Fashion's branding crisis". Fast Company.
31. [https://www.wallpaper.com/fashion/retail-directory-celine-paris/amp Hedi Slimane’s store designs ramp up retail at Celine] [[Wallpaper*]], AMY SERAFIN, 24 May 2019
32. [https://beta.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/09/29/hedi-slimane-has-blown-up-celine-but-to-what-end/?outputType=amp A provocative designer has just blown up a 70-year-old brand. But to what end?] ''[[The Washington Post]]'', Robin Givhan, September 29, 2018
33. Milnes, Hilary. (2024-05-13). "Ralph Lauren's Michael Rider to exit".
34. Miles Socha (7 March 2006), [https://wwd.com/business-news/financial/brunschwig-in-line-for-celine-ceo-job-542580/ Brunschwig in Line For Celine CEO Job] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''.
35. Miles Socha (4 September 2008), [https://wwd.com/feature/celine-taps-phoebe-philo-1735699-1624962/ Celine Taps Phoebe Philo] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''.
36. [https://wwd.com/feature/celine-recruits-next-ceo-plots-online-sales-10816290/ EXCLUSIVE: Céline Finds Next CEO; Plots Online Sales] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]'', 24 February 2017.
37. Katherine Weisman (24 May 2000), [https://wwd.com/feature/article-1194417-1712893/ CELINE INKS GLOBAL LICENSE WITH DE RIGO FOR EYEWEAR] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''.
38. Luisa Zargani (14 November 2011), [https://wwd.com/feature/cline-inks-deal-with-safilo-5367427-770784/ Céline Inks Deal With Safilo] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''.
39. Jennifer Weil (24 May 2000), [https://wwd.com/fashion-news/fashion-features/article-1195264/ CELINE IN LICENSE DEAL WITH INTER PARFUMS] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''.
40. Jennifer Weil (18 August 2019), [https://wwd.com/feature/celine-teases-new-scents-by-hedi-slimane-1203241057/ Celine Teases New Scents by Hedi Slimane] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''.
41. Muret, Dominique. (8 November 2022). "Celine ouvre une sixième boutique au cœur de Paris".
42. (17 August 2023). "For the first time, Celine's coveted womenswear is available in New Zealand — landing exclusively at Faradays today".
43. Katherine Weisman (22 January 1999), [https://wwd.com/feature/article-1083900-1812556/ Paris's Fashion Fling] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''.
44. Katherine Weisman (7 January 2000), [https://wwd.com/feature/article-1205278-1702779/ Paris Accents The Power Of Product] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''.
45. Miles Socha and Robert Murphy (26 January 2001), [https://wwd.com/feature/article-1181018-1725200/ Paris: It’s Sex And The City] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''.
46. Joelle Diderich (23 July 2024), [https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/louis-vuitton-lisa-blackpink-brand-ambassador-1236499418/ Blackpink’s Lisa Named Louis Vuitton Brand Ambassador] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''
47. 박서령. (2022-11-24). "박보검, 남자 배우 최초 셀린느의 글로벌 앰배서더 발탁".
48. Kristopher Fraser (8 July 2024), [https://wwd.com/pop-culture/celebrity-news/bts-ambassadorship-deals-jin-suga-jimin-j-hope-v-jungkook-1235867026/ BTS’ High-profile Brand Ambassadorships: Jin Shines for Fred Jewelry, J-Hope Models for Louis Vuitton and More] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''
49. Kirsty Thatcher (28 March 2024), [https://www.elle.com.au/fashion/newjeans-danielle-celine/ NewJeans’ Danielle Joins Celine As Global Ambassador] ''[[Elle (magazine). Elle]]''
50. Miles Socha (28 November 2024), [https://wwd.com/fashion-news/designer-luxury/celine-tws-ambassadors-kpop-seoul-boutique-1236739171/ Celine Signs TWS as Ambassadors Amid Retail Push in Korea] ''[[Women's Wear Daily]]''
51. Templeton, Lily. (2024-12-10). "EXCLUSIVE: Celine Taps Liu Shishi as Global Ambassador".