Hedi Slimane - Designer, Creative Director of Celine

[tricotineacetat]

Then there's a problem with the industry at large. A 55 year-old man shouldn't be involved in teenage narratives. It's perverted, creepy and it's none of his business. The fact that you defend his fascination with young people speaks to a culture of pedophilia that was all the rage in 1970s France, a period of time Hedi has drawn a lot from.

There’s a difference between sexual objectification of youth, creating exploitative environments and power structures or simply using narratives that speak about their lives and (sub)culture as the topic for art making, film or design. I am not going to deny the existance of numerous cases of abuse in the fashion industry, they have been well documented and rightly called out.

When we look at Terry Richardson and Dov Charney, the former owner of American Apparel, then it's clear where that stands, but neither have any accuses of abuse been raised against Hedi Slimane for sexual abuse of minors nor does his portraiture of youth have a sexualized character. It's about alternative music scenes and their youthful protagonists - Not much different from Sofia Coppola's coming-of-age characters in her films.

 

[plentyofhorns]

Honestly, no, it isn't to me - His portraiture of models isn't sexualized and the fact that models often start working as early as 16 years old iand get booked for jobs with major luxury houses is by no means exclusive to Hedi Slimane. You can call it tiresome, repetitive, foreseeable if it's not your cup of tea.

It's a tiresome debate - Not that I find it particularly exciting that he keeps pushing on the notion of teenage narratives while most his fans have grown older, but I respect that it's his narrative as an artist just as much as Ann Demeulemeester's fascination with Patti Smith never vanished in all these years. He has a clear identity of his own and standing up and remaining true to it is becoming a rare occurance in the fashion industry.

Yeah he has a clear narrative… that he’s way too fascinated by twinky skater boys. It’s creepy.

 

[alwaysademo]

I was hesitant with his SL but I has appreciated Mr. Slimane a lot more since especially in the present fashion climate. He's driven by the aesthetics of the music world that somehow helps his look retain a lot of... soul and he understands the business from a commercial perspective as well as that of the fashion world (the giants Yves and Karl both approved). I watched one of his documentaries the other day and it's clear that the man knows his clothes, just from his posture, has always lived and worked in an environment of beauty. His grandiose ideas about the isolated muse i almost find endearing sometimes. Also I don't see anything weird as implied with his Celine ads. Lulu is his idea of the femme fatale in his imaginary band's music video. Maybe Lulu is him personified. just my 2 cents.

 

[tourbillions]

i really dont think his work goes that deep. he has one aesthetic that he keeps doing and he just changes the filter for his campaigns for each brand. he is a good tailor and a one trick vibe maker. luckily his go-to aesthetic is timeless so it almost always works specially for creatively abandoned labels. if he goes to chloe and do the same thing he does, it will work, if he went to lanvin or givenchy it will work also. not sure about louis vuitton, dior, chanel, gucci.

 

[alwaysademo]

imagine this for Chanel:

 

[Grets]

I was hesitant with his SL but I has appreciated Mr. Slimane a lot more since especially in the present fashion climate. He's driven by the aesthetics of the music world that somehow helps his look retain a lot of... soul and he understands the business from a commercial perspective as well as that of the fashion world (the giants Yves and Karl both approved). I watched one of his documentaries the other day and it's clear that the man knows his clothes, just from his posture, has always lived and worked in an environment of beauty. His grandiose ideas about the isolated muse i almost find endearing sometimes. Also I don't see anything weird as implied with his Celine ads. Lulu is his idea of the femme fatale in his imaginary band's music video. Maybe Lulu is him personified. just my 2 cents.

I see Lulu also Quinn Mora and Kaia Gerber as his muses

 

[blueorchid]

What, in god's name, does Kaia Gerber offer to someone as a............................. muse?

 

[KoV]

It's so concerning that nobody cares about pedophile-like imagery.

I don’t care for Hedi and his Celine is utterly without appeal as far as I’m concerned, but I don’t really get the Lolita/p*dophile critique. I haven’t done a deep dive on all the models he’s employed but off the top of my head, recent ones he’s heavily featured (Esther, Lily, Lulu, Kaia, Edie) range in age between 22 and 33. Youthful, sure, but equating it to pedophilia is a stretch. What is inherently child-like about the images? Are they sexualized? To me it’s just young adults in kind of general everyday wear. How is that so different from 95% of all fashion marketing?

 

[alwaysademo]

I see Lulu also Quinn Mora and Kaia Gerber as his muses

David Bowie gave him an award onstage and he didn't look too overwhelmed. I think he is his own muse.

 

[Kimihiro]

David Bowie gave him an award onstage and he didn't look too overwhelmed. I think he is his own muse.

Someone said it: projection. Personally as a long observer (and buyer) of his works I feel like these casting decisions reflect who he wants to be. An idealized version of it. Be it a boy of a girl.

 

[alwaysademo]

I don’t care for Hedi and his Celine is utterly without appeal as far as I’m concerned, but I don’t really get the Lolita/p*dophile critique. I haven’t done a deep dive on all the models he’s employed but off the top of my head, recent ones he’s heavily featured (Esther, Lily, Lulu, Kaia, Edie) range in age between 22 and 33. Youthful, sure, but equating it to pedophilia is a stretch. What is inherently child-like about the images? Are they sexualized? To me it’s just young adults in kind of general everyday wear. How is that so different from 95% of all fashion marketing?

I see Lulu also Quinn Mora and Kaia Gerber as his muses

Funny... I just realized Lulu, Quinn and Edie are employed by both Chanel and Celine for ads this past year.

 

[blueorchid]

Funny... I just realized Lulu, Quinn and Edie are employed by both Chanel and Celine for ads this past year.

You've cracked the case!

 

[alwaysademo]

i've followed tfs a long time but never posted. it's just super fun to actually interact with you guys. sorry if i went overboard. just feel like this whole Chanel thing is the most exciting thing in fashion in a while and i got thoughts and i need to air them. and hey @blueorchid, i downloaded all the vintage Bazaar pics you posted in the Scavullo thread, thanks a lot!

 

[Grets]

Funny... I just realized Lulu, Quinn and Edie are employed by both Chanel and Celine for ads this past year.

 

[blueorchid]

and hey @blueorchid, i downloaded all the vintage Bazaar pics you posted in the Scavullo thread, thanks a lot!

That reminds me to upload more! The Chanel hub-bub distracted me.

 

[vn varenne]

France : Hedi Slimane's prospective departure spells contractual headache for Céline

Does someone here have access to this article? It looks interesting

 

[SpeedRacer666]

France : Hedi Slimane's prospective departure spells contractual headache for Céline

Does someone here have access to this article? It looks interesting

I imagine some of this pertains to the Haute Parfumier royalties and why Black Tie is seemingly not being re-stocked.

 

[TianCouture]

imagine this for Chanel:

View attachment 1278218

no thank you

 

[plentyofhorns]

I imagine some of this pertains to the Haute Parfumier royalties and why Black Tie is seemingly not being re-stocked.

Good thing my bottles of perfume last me forever. Bought black tie a few years ago. It’s really nice.

 

[alwaysademo]

you get a creative who's experienced in his craft, been at a top position at 3-4 houses and excelled at all of them and has not been burnt out, has a clear vision from day 1, not a media wh*re, stood up to the establishment when it was still big, still has success afterward... and he still isn't good enough? Karl wasn't Karl Lagerfeld before Chanel, the house lets him grow into who he is as we know him now.