Not even 24 hours have passed, and LVMH already has a replacement for Hedi Slimane at Celine. After months of speculation surrounding his future at the French fashion house (founded in 1945 by Céline Vipiana), Slimane’s departure was announced earlier today, following a 7-year tenure at the brand. Mere hours later, LVMH announced Michael Rider as Slimane’s successor (very much true to speculation in April). Rider, previously of Polo Ralph Lauren in New York, worked under Phoebe Philo as Celine design director of ready-to-wear from 2008 until 2018. The American designer is set to start his creative director role at Celine in 2025.
Michael Rider Named Celine Creative Director
Read below the reactions of theFashionSpot’s forum members:
“So the rumors were true.” [Foxie-Pooh]
“Finally someone talented getting a big job!” [helmutnotdead]
“Michael Rider is perfect for the role but at the same time, it’s hard to imagine what his Celine may look like.
He is a great merchandiser because of Polo Ralph Lauren, his era at Celine is still beloved and he knows LVMH and the challenges of a multi-billion dollar company.” [Lola701]
“Very excited. I actually enjoyed what he has done with Polo RL. It’s very fashion yet very commercial merchandising. So I would love to see his version of Celine given that he was there at the peak of Phoebe and also had experience in commercial company like Polo RL.” [TaylorBinque]
“Love it. Rider has a good foundation to build on. Opening up Celine after that growth while being introverted would do wonders. I don’t think he’ll veer far from Hedi.” [Kimihiro]
Share your own thoughts on Michael Rider becoming Celine creative director over on theFashionSpot forums, here.
