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The story
Founded by Céline Vipiana in 1945, in Paris.1
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 high society Parisian women. Henceforth, the brand specialized in artisanal leather goods such as handbags, 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.
Early years
1988–1997: Peggy Huynh Kinh
1997–2003: Michael Kors
2004–2005: Roberto Menichetti
2005–2008: Ivana Omazic
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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 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". Models included Noen Eubanks. 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. Rider officially joined the company in early 2025. He is in charge of 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.
From Wikipedia’s article on Celine (brand), shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.5