At Celine, the departure of star designer Hedi Slimane, replaced by Michael Rider

Since the spring of 2024, the fashion world has been debating: would Hedi Slimane, whose contract at Celine expired this year, be renewed? If he left, would he go to the competition? Finally, part of the enigma was resolved, Wednesday October 2, the day after the last day of Parisian fashion week spring-summer 2025. The French designer leaves the brand where he had worked for six years and is replaced by Michael Rider, relatively unknown in the industry.

Hedi Simane is among the most important fashion designers of the time: in 2000 he launched the men’s line of Dior (LVMH), where he defined a new body-hugging aesthetic, which became the dominant trend of the years 2000. In 2012, he joined Yves Saint Laurent (Kering), where he gave a real facelift to the brand until his departure in 2016. To everyone’s surprise, he returned to the LVMH group by taking over management of Celine in 2018. As with Dior and Saint Laurent, he has greatly contributed to its growth, while remaining faithful to his own aesthetic.

Unlike most designers, Hedi Slimane adapts little, if at all, to the houses that employ him: they are the ones he shapes in his image. Since its beginnings, he has remained faithful to his principles. His wardrobe is strongly inspired by the world of rock music, both in terms of the pieces (from the Beatles-style tie suits of the 1960s to the dazzling sequin dresses for stage performers) and the artists with whom he has collaborated. Before presenting his collections by video, his last physical fashion show, in February 2023 in Paris, was held at the Palace, and was followed by a concert by The Libertines, a group he had already photographed and dressed from the time of Dior.

Michael Rider, a man in the shadows

Over the years, his desire to control every aspect of the brand grew. At Celine, in addition to the women’s and men’s collections, he completely redefined the decor of the stores, the atmosphere of the advertising campaigns that he produced himself, launched a line of perfumes and beauty products… For his successor, he will be difficult to impose one’s influence. Especially since it is unlikely that LVMH will want to reinvest in a new facelift of the label after the sums committed during the time of Hedi Slimane.

This perhaps explains the choice of the discreet Michael Rider, a 42-year-old American, who has been more of a man in the shadows until now. He started in fashion in 2004 alongside Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, then collaborated with Phoebe Philo at Céline for ten years (between 2008 and 2018, when the Céline brand was still written with an accent on the “e”) and took the role of creative director at Polo Ralph Lauren, which he left in May. Apart from this prestigious CV, we have little information about Michael Rider. Nothing that suggests the direction in which he wants to take the brand.

As for Hedi Slimane, anything seems possible: after this brilliant career, the 56-year-old designer could retire from fashion and devote himself to his photographic work, as he did during his long period of break between Dior and Saint Laurent. But he could just as easily take over a bigger house, like Chanel, whose artistic director position is still vacant. It’s possible that the game of musical chairs has only just begun.