Hedi Slimane - Designer, Creative Director of Celine

[Lola701]

With Galliano's rehabilitation campaign, the numerous celebs wearing Margiela, met gala, etc. I wouldn't be surprised he comes back. Lauren Sherman recently on Puck's Fashion podcast made the point about if John Galliano and Sidney Toledano make amends, it would this epic fashion love story of redemption.
Also Toledano's history with Hedi could likely repair whatever contract issues he may have had with Burke.

Was Burke really involved in the day to day operations since the death of his wife though? Negociations may have started before with the Arnault probably.

 

[style_expert]

Renzo Rosso proudly posting about Galliano looks from the Met Gala is not an indication of him letting him go…
They have ride that Couture collection buzz for the longest.
The thing is I’m not a buyer so I don’t know about the RTW collections and how they are going to communicate on them. But he is still in contract so the collections are made anyway (as stuff has to be sold).

We will see in October indeed (even if Renzo would be a fool to let him go without a fight).

But that mean also that if he leaves Margiela, his non-competition will end in October 2025. So no official first collection until 2026…

So for a brand like Givenchy, it will mean literally more than 1 year (and how many seasons) without a CD.

I think Renzo Rosso more than anything listens to Anna Wintour...isn't that how Galliano ended up at Margiela in the first place?
Since she is so absolutely obsessed with getting Galliano something more prestigious I'm sure she has found ways to please Rosso too, maybe some leftover talent she's trying to push and make happen.
The MET Gala has been insane with the amount of publicity generated for Galliano/Margiela. I'm sure LOEWE had to spend a lot more to generate the same amount of publicity. Rosso can't complain to be honest.

More than Galliano leaving Margiela, I think the uncertainty is still at LVMH...they realize they need a big moment at Givenchy but given recent developments I think they are uncertain about any backlash such an announcement could possibly create

 

[Lola701]

I think Renzo Rosso more than anything listens to Anna Wintour...isn't that how Galliano ended up at Margiela in the first place?
Since she is so absolutely obsessed with getting Galliano something more prestigious I'm sure she has found ways to please Rosso too, maybe some leftover talent she's trying to push and make happen.
The MET Gala has been insane with the amount of publicity generated for Galliano/Margiela. I'm sure LOEWE had to spend a lot more to generate the same amount of publicity. Rosso can't complain to be honest.

More than Galliano leaving Margiela, I think the uncertainty is still at LVMH...they realize they need a big moment at Givenchy but given recent developments I think they are uncertain about any backlash such an announcement could possibly create

My thing is that the LVMH discussion and everything is very oriented in what Anna might want for him, what fans wants for him…But ultimately, Galliano is an adult right? We assume that he may want to leave Margiela for what?
I think the idea of Anna Wintour as his guardian is cool but at the end of the day, he is the one in the position.

Does Anna has the same impact today that she had 10 years ago over at LVMH? All the hiring at LVMH in the past 10 years weren’t her decision. It was all about the influence of Delphine or Alexandre.

I try to put myself in the shoes of someone like John. Obviously, he is in a good working relationship with Renzo Rosso. He is not even pressured to have shows. The machine at Margiela is probably more free than at LVMH, so why as a designer, I would put myself in that much pressure with a job like Givenchy.

For me the buzz around the Margiela collection is an opportunity to put even more budget on Margiela.

The consensus is that apparently people wants him back at LVMH but does he?

 

[style_expert]

^judging from the documentary I'm not sure whether Galliano really is that much aware of his own position. Obviously it's not like he would be forced to work again for LVMH under a multi-million contract against his own will. But from an amateur psychology point of view it seemed like he is very much looking for that kind of validation/rehabilitation by LVMH, whether or not pushed by Anna Wintour is maybe even beyond the point. Surely he has regained a lot of confidence from his time at Margiela but let's not forget that he was coming from an absolute extreme high at Dior so maybe he's regaining a little bit of his appetite for that kind of redemption.

Anna obviously has less impact than before, so this whole ordeal could be an interesting test case for her persistence and power in todays climate. I totally agree BTW that the best thing for Galliano himself would be to stay away from LVMH as far as possible.

 

[Lola701]

^judging from the documentary I'm not sure whether Galliano really is that much aware of his own position. Obviously it's not like he would be forced to work again for LVMH under a multi-million contract against his own will. But from an amateur psychology point of view it seemed like he is very much looking for that kind of validation/rehabilitation by LVMH, whether or not pushed by Anna Wintour is maybe even beyond the point. Surely he has regained a lot of confidence from his time at Margiela but let's not forget that he was coming from an absolute extreme high at Dior so maybe he's regaining a little bit of his appetite for that kind of redemption.

Anna obviously has less impact than before, so this whole ordeal could be an interesting test case for her persistence and power in todays climate. I totally agree BTW that the best thing for Galliano himself would be to stay away from LVMH as far as possible.

I must add that my reservation for Galliano being back at an LVMH brand has less to do with LVMH itself, as I think they have always tried to have the best interest of the talents (and more those who they really like) at heart, but more with what it comes with: pressure, delivering many collections, handling many things at the same time…etc.

Something like doing a Couture collection, riding on it for 6 months without anything to back up would be impossible for him at Givenchy.

 

[gallianostan]

all this talk about how difficult givenchy would be but he was at christian dior for fourteen years...

i think he can handle givenchy lmao, which presents only two more collections a year than margiela does (or did, up until covid)

 

[Creative]

So sales have slowed but Bernie continues to highlight their performances to the shareholders, who are by the way the only ones aware of the true numbers in the group?

Who are those industry sources?

I can see Céline figures and they have slowed down… a lot in some European areas.

 

[PDFSD]

The amount of campaigns they are dumping over the last few weeks...definitely feels like they are trying to purge all of the Hedi Slimane credited content before the formal announcement of creative change

Its the normal cycle of the drops i dont feel its dumping as it's the way to keep constant fresh drops like most big brands have with different names or colabs.

 

[PDFSD]

I think Renzo Rosso more than anything listens to Anna Wintour...isn't that how Galliano ended up at Margiela in the first place?
Since she is so absolutely obsessed with getting Galliano something more prestigious I'm sure she has found ways to please Rosso too, maybe some leftover talent she's trying to push and make happen.
The MET Gala has been insane with the amount of publicity generated for Galliano/Margiela. I'm sure LOEWE had to spend a lot more to generate the same amount of publicity. Rosso can't complain to be honest.

More than Galliano leaving Margiela, I think the uncertainty is still at LVMH...they realize they need a big moment at Givenchy but given recent developments I think they are uncertain about any backlash such an announcement could possibly create

Thinking of it with more distance up to this last HC show, did John really push or renew himself or give is best at Margiela ? i feel it's been a pet project and self indulging in his mad hatter creative side and not so much sharpening or renewing his vision i feel this one HC hype might disappear as fast as it came and leave John in a even more niche corner than before.

 

[Lola701]

all this talk about how difficult givenchy would be but he was at christian dior for fourteen years...

i think he can handle givenchy lmao, which presents only two more collections a year than margiela does (or did, up until covid)

We saw how Dior ended….
Givenchy would exactly be where Dior was when he took over so it means that it would need his full investment.

We will see eventually… we just have to wait I guess.

 

[gallianostan]

Thinking of it with more distance up to this last HC show, did John really push or renew himself or give is best at Margiela ? i feel it's been a pet project and self indulging in his mad hatter creative side and not so much sharpening or renewing his vision i feel this one HC hype might disappear as fast as it came and leave John in a even more niche corner than before.

absolutely. what he did for this margiela show is far less relevant than what he did at dior

 

[FiLReD]

checking this thread reminds me of the weekly horoscope of my dear Madame Clairevoyant.
which brings me to her latest one for our supersensitive cancer Hedi - born on the 5th of July 1968.
does she already has the answer to the burning (aka boring!) question?

Your Weekly Horoscopes May 19–25​

CANCER
Your routines can be supportive. They provide structure to your days, and they help you stay on track when you’re unsure what to do or your energy starts to flag. Sometimes, though, they leave you stuck, prevent you from growing, learning, taking new risks. This week is a good time to release habits that no longer serve you, or the fear holding you back, or the doubt keeping you trapped in place. You have the opportunity to step away from the structures that aren’t actually working for you and to create something new in their place.

the cut

 

[ayao]

hey guys,
sorry for the slightly off topic question - but have any of you noticed a quality difference between Hedi's SLP and Celine boots? Just from feeling like the Celine ones seem to have better construction, but I'm not super knowledgeable on shoemaking.

thanks in advance.

 

[imjustken]

Am I the only who gets a little creeped out by Celine's Instagram page ? All the models look rail thin and super young. Considering Hedi is pushing 60 and casts all the models himself, it's a little creepy. He's like an ageing rockstar who fetishizes youth. He reminds me of one of those guys on pro-ana websites encouraging girls to starve themselves. There's that one girl he likes a lot, Lulu Tenney. She's like 23 or 24 but looks about 16. Lolita vibes.

 

[Cocteau Stone]

^ It’s been discussed a lot when it comes to Hedi and his aesthetics. That’s just him (as odd as it can be) and for many, that’s why they like him and buy into his world. It is very youth orientated. The difference though with him is that despite that image, the clothes still work on other age groups for the most part because there is something very classic and timeless about a lot of his outputs. You still have to ensure you’re the right size for a lot of it, but the same can be applied to a lot of other brands. Hedi is just an easier target for this because it is a bit of an “all of the above” situation when it comes to the classic negative fashion tropes.

There is still something a bit morbid about it at times. His Saint Laurent copped a lot flack for both the shows and campaigns for similar reasons. That being said, the morbidity of it all can be something exciting to some too. For a long time now he’s always embodied that Peter Pan/Pied Piper leading his followers to the fountain of youth kind of aura.

 

[tourbillions]

Am I the only who gets a little creeped out by Celine's Instagram page ? All the models look rail thin and super young. Considering Hedi is pushing 60 and casts all the models himself, it's a little creepy. He's like an ageing rockstar who fetishizes youth. He reminds me of one of those guys on pro-ana websites encouraging girls to starve themselves. There's that one girl he likes a lot, Lulu Tenney. She's like 23 or 24 but looks about 16. Lolita vibes.

im more creepeed out about how he can do basically the same thing at sl and celine and people still want him doing the same at Chanel.

 

[tricotineacetat]

To be honest, I am more concerned about what happens to a designer's vision like Hedi's the moment it has to be stretched so thin as to include dog toys, beach bags and toiletry accessories...

Both his winter 2024 collections were strong collections but they were only but one part in the universe of Celine and runway pieces likely consist of the smallest portion of what ends up in stores. I don't think there is a lot of authority in a designer's work when the product put up for sale strays too far away from what the image is being created from.

Like I said before, he is a flawless tailor, I have clothes from him that date back nearly 20 years that are still better than any of what the current crop of designers are putting out there. That to me stands testament to the validity of his vision and I would rather Chanel's clothes exuded a notion of that timeless modernity and quality rather than to be too 'off the moment' as to make them unwearable once fashion moves elsewhere.

 

[imjustken]

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

 

[tricotineacetat]

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

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.

 

[imjustken]

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.