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Celine names Michael Rider as new Creative Director

Sophie Smith
02 October 2024

Celine has named Michael Rider as its new Creative Director, replacing Hedi Slimane, who will depart the luxury brand after seven years at the helm.

Effective from early 2025, Rider will have the entire creative responsibility for all Celine collections, including womenswear, menswear, leather goods, accessories and couture.

It comes after the American designer previously served as a Design Director at the luxury brand, working at Celine for a 10-year period that spanned Phoebe Philo’s tenure.

Most recently, he was Creative Director at Polo Ralph Lauren, a position he held since 2018 but left in May. He was also previously a Senior Designer at Balenciaga from 2004-2008.

"I am delighted to welcome Michael back to Celine, a maison that he knows intimately," said Severine Merle, CEO of Celine.

"Michael’s creative talent, together with his genuine nature and strong connection to Celine’s heritage make him a natural choice to continue to build a long-lasting success for the maison."

Rider replaces Hedi Slimane, who joined Celine as Artistic, Creative and Image Director in 2018 after Philo’s departure. The news follows months of swirling rumours that Slimane was next in line to take over the reins at rival Parisian house Chanel.

Slimane was previously the Artistic Director of menswear at Kering-owned Yves Saint Laurent until 2000 when he joined Dior Homme. He left Dior in 2007 and returned to Yves Saint Laurent in 2012 as Creative Director, later exiting the business in 2016.

His role at Celine, which he held since 2018, has encompassed a wider remit for the French fashion house, having been charged with extending the luxury brand into menswear, couture and fragrances. With Slimane at the helm, Celine said goodbye to sleek shirts and pale silks and hello to an edgier, grungier and darker aesthetic.

After a successful six-year stint as Artistic Director, during which Celine transformed into a megabrand, Slimane now hands over the reigns to Rider.

"Under [Slimane's] creative and artistic direction, Celine has experienced exceptional growth and established itself as an iconic French couture house," Celine said in a statement earlier today.

"The extraordinary journey taken together over the last seven years has made Celine a house with a formidable foundation for the future."

Read TheIndustry.fashion's feature 'Are the luxury fashion jigsaw pieces finally falling into place?' to learn more about Creative Director reshuffles in recent months. 


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