In 1945, Céline Vipiana 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.
A new positioning
In 1960, the brand decided to change its positioning by focusing its business on a ready-to-wear fashion brand for women with a sportswear approach. Henceforth, the brand offered a range of leather goods such as bags, loafers, gloves and clothes. Céline Vipiana remained the designer from 1945-1997. In 1964, the launch of the new fragrance "Vent fou" and the new ‘American Sulky’ collection of accessories gained success. The trench became the chief product of the house. Prompted by the popularity of leather, Céline opened a leather goods factory in Florence. In 1973, Céline redesigned its 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, so Richard Vipiana established the Céline-Pasteur Prize, a sponsor for the American Hospital of Paris in 1973.
Acquisition by LVMH
In 1987, Bernard Arnault decided to buy into Céline’s capital. However, it was only in 1996 that the brand was integrated into the LVMH group for 2.7 billion French francs. LVMH propelled the brand to fame with the opening of a boutique at 36 avenue Montaigne in Paris.
Céline’s designers
After Céline Vipiana, Peggy Huynh Kinh, appointed by Bernard Arnault, took over the house’s artistic direction in 1988. She modernised the brand and initiated seasonal collections for accessories. American fashion designer Michael Kors was named women's ready-to-wear designer and creative director for Céline in 1997. During his tenure at Céline, Kors brought modern femininity with a luxurious spirit. In 2004, he left the fashion luxury house to focus his career on his own brand. In 2005, Italian designer Roberto Menichetti was named creative director. A year later, Croatian designer Ivana Omazic directed the design studio. Omazic was a former consultant for the brand and previously worked with Romeo Gigli, Prada, Jil Sander and Miu Miu. Omazic designed for Céline until 2008, after further disappointments for the brand.
Phoebe Philo: a Decade as Creative Director
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, and 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 giving her the opportunity to express her vision. In 2009, Vogue Magazine defined her style as the “cool minimal trend”. Philo studied at Central Saint Martins School of Art and Design in London. Prior to Céline, Philo held the position of Design Director at Chloé. 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
On January 21, 2018, LVMH announced the appointment of Hedi Slimane as Artistic, Creative and Image Director, set to join the house on February 1. He is to direct all Céline collections, extending the brand's offering with the launch of men’s fashion, couture and fragrances. In September 2018, Slimane presented an updated Celine logo on the brand's Instagram account. Slimane created his retail flagship concept stores in Paris, Tokyo, Shanghai, Los Angeles, Madrid, Milan and London. Slimane replaced the brand's tradition style with his personal signature "driven by youth culture, indie rock and sulking adolescence."
Marketing
was the first celebrity to wear Slimane’s first Celine collection on the red carpet for the Los Angeles premiere of Suspiria.
