Everybody knows that Celine always had a very, very specific aesthetic. And Hedi Slimane debut wasn’t that successful, as he changed the brand’s logo, deleted all the images prior to his version of Instagram and launched the brand a first bag, with a footprint very similar to Kelly — iconic piece of Hermès.
For the Paris La Nuit collection, he left the beige, ignoring the fluidity of the oversized pieces and the importance of the accessories of Celine.The collection showed the same footprint that the designer had at St. Laurent: mini skirts, ruffles, metallics and statement silhouettes.
After all, Celine has always been recognized by the classic elegance of French woman; tones of beige appeared in pantaloons, bags and shoes that were always chic, discreet and, at the same time, funky.
The prior Creative Director of Celine, Phoebe Philo valued both comfort and taste. Hedi’s Saint Laurent — and now Celine — appears to be the opposite. And it was presented on a series of waist-thin models that also don’t exactly fit the Celine mold. Out of 96 models, only six of them were people of color and hit the runway — 30 looks were shown before one black model appeared.
As Camila Yahn, from FFW explained, “it makes sense as the ideas of a designer, but he’s working with another brand, with another story. When a designer has a strong aesthetics, stronger than the DNA of the brands we works for, it’s a clear sign that he should have his own brand”.