The American takes over from Hedi Slimane as head of the LVMH label’s collections. Beginning the great game of musical chairs that awaits at the head of the most important luxury houses.
His name had been mentioned before the summer as a potential successor to Hedi Slimane at the head of Celine – while rumors of the superstar designer’s departure were at their height. The thing is now official, this October 2: Slimane gone, Michael Rider is now the new artistic director of the Parisian house.
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But who is Michael Rider? An illustrious unknown to the general public but a recognized professional in the luxury industry. In the shadow of the creative studios, until now of Polo Ralph Lauren as creative director (a position he left last May), Michael Rider, a graduate of the prestigious Brown University, worked for almost a decade (2008-2018) with Phoebe Philo, then AD of Céline (who still had an accent on the E). A return to his roots of sorts for the American who, before that, was senior designer for Nicolas Ghesquière at the time at Balenciaga (2004-2008).
Will Celine return to an accent on her e?
An outstanding CV therefore for a complicated mission: to impose his style (which we do not yet know) within the label founded by Céline Vipiana in 1946 (bought by Bernard Arnault in 1987) of which Slimane has vampirized all areas, fashion of course but also image, perfumes and most recently, the beauty line that he launched this fall. Especially since few artistic directors have the reputation of Hedi Slimane. The Frenchman, as a reminder, shaped the Dior man in the early 2000s, relaunched the Saint Laurent machine from 2016, before taking the reins of Celine, two years later. In six years, he managed to make the brand a mega brand to several billion euros.
Will Rider continue the French left bank chic aesthetic of his predecessor? Or opt for a completely different direction? Will Celine return to an accent on her E? And on the Paris Fashion Week calendar “in person” – the house only revealing its collections in video format since February 2023, and a famous show at the Palace? So many questions which will undoubtedly find answers in 2025 when the forty-year-old takes office at the beginning of next year.
In the meantime, Séverine Merle, the CEO, rejoices in the house’s press release, “Michael’s return to Celine, a house he knows intimately. His creative vision, his talent, his personality and his deep attachment to the Celine heritage make him a natural choice to continue and sustain the success of the house» For his part, the person concerned affirms: “ Celine is a house whose values are particularly close to my heart and which has a magnificent heritage on which to build. I am honored to return there to build the future of the house with the Celine teams. »
