Hedi Slimane - Designer, Creative Director of Celine

[yslforever]

I find it hard to believe that Hedi would put out crap like that. Maybe it’s one of the Arnault clan calling the shots, maybe it’s not. Then again, it was undeniably Hedi who thought putting CELINE in all caps on the back of a rider’s jacket was a good idea. Like much of LVMH, this brand has been busy inaugurating a new vulgarian era, which is why I don’t covet anything from them. There is still quite a brisk trade in the SLP secondhand market, I might visit one of them bougie op-shops in Tokyo soon.

OH i might need the adresses ! because I am ditching Celine for now...

 

[louis]

And so Slimsne is seen to leave CELINE in due time and possibly take the hot spot at CHANEL again via Miss Tweed: but wasn’t he still negotiating his contract with Bernard Arnault?

 

[Lola701]

And so Slimsne is seen to leave CELINE in due time and possibly take the hot spot at CHANEL again via Miss Tweed: but wasn’t he still negotiating his contract with Bernard Arnault?

Bruno Pavlovsky interview was quite clear in the way that it excluded Hedi as contender but people still name him as a potential as if it will happen.

 

[tourbillions]

Bruno Pavlovsky interview was quite clear in the way that it excluded Hedi as contender but people still name him as a potential as if it will happen.

his fans are delusional and seem to not know what chanel is or what they need.

 

[louis]

HEDI SLIMANE is the only one right to fit CHANEL: he would make it explode. Even if Pavlosky wouldn’t want Hedi they could only find someone else who hasn’t the expertise in merchandising and tailoring that Slimane has. So if it happens that Galliano goes back to LVMH everything is possible

 

[Tchi]

his fans are delusional and seem to not know what chanel is or what they need.

🥶 I am not a Stan but I do not se a better candidate alive

 

[louis]

🥶 I am not a Stan but I do not se a better candidate alive

THIS IS IT

 

[tourbillions]

he is very 1 dimension for chanel, he can make small brands explode like lanvin or givenchy or tom ford. not sure about already big and established heritage brands...

He can try to apply at tom ford or burberry

 

[louis]

SLIMANE is only interested in French maison and I’m not that sure that he’s so eagerly awaiting to fill in the shoes that once were of Karl Lagerfeld. He wants total control so if they are not willing to give him freedom I possibly can see him just turning back on his photography endeavour

 

[Lola701]

HEDI SLIMANE is the only one right to fit CHANEL: he would make it explode. Even if Pavlosky wouldn’t want Hedi they could only find someone else who hasn’t the expertise in merchandising and tailoring that Slimane has. So if it happens that Galliano goes back to LVMH everything is possible

Pavlovsky, rightfully so, wants Chanel to be a leading voice in fashion. I don’t think Hedi is the right person for that.

Karl was chosen by Kitty D’Alessio because he never tried to copy Chanel. Their aesthetic are quite opposite in many ways if we exclude his love of Flou that can be tied with the idea of Chanel instilling freedom into womenswear.

We have been too accustomed to the idea that personal aesthetic should dictate the direction of a house.

As someone said earlier in threads, Slimane has always kind of Chanel-fied the brands he has worked for. And while he is a fantastic CD, I don’t think he has anything to offer new or fresh to anyone. It’s an endless partition and a broken record.

He can try to apply at tom ford or burberry

He has too much ego to take over the brand of his contemporary like Tom Ford. And Tom Ford as a brand has a problem in terms of being a leading voice in fashion again. In terms of brand identity and creative direction, they are fine.

Hedi is not sensual or versatile enough for Tom Ford. Tom after all was a better designer than Hedi is.

Tbh, Hedi should become either an Art Director and a full time photographer, hold exhibitions, direct music videos, being involved with Art and maybe work on his fashion legacy.
I have an extreme admiration for him but he has nothing more to offer. Of course, he is still the best at what he does but I think Celine is the most accomplished thing he has ever done. He can’t top that, even more considering that his creative peak ended at YSL.

 

[PDFSD]

Bruno Pavlovsky interview was quite clear in the way that it excluded Hedi as contender but people still name him as a potential as if it will happen.

As much as i agree with Bruno Pavlovsky statements that the brand is the King/Queen and the CD has to follow and add on to it but not recreate it it one's personal vision, i do be looking at Bruno sideways because in few months before VV left his huge confident statement was also that VV departure is something that wont happen for a long long long long time...... yet it did. (which i understand as well as the fashion president of Chanel you have to give confidence around the brand and shut down negative speculations regardless if true or false or in progress )

I would not be surprised if these statements made where also a way to publicly make and show as a power move that : who ever big they talk to for the job that the brand Chanel has the upperhand in setting the tone and parameters of the job of the Fashion CD for the house that its take it or leave it.

Because it's a very open & specific statement to make he could have sticked with simple one liners that don't say much as per usual.

and a charming meeting with a coffee and a croissant later things can be very different as well ......

Whoever gets the job will be hated any ways by fashion & co as it was with KL and VV just because it's simply CHANEL.

I can see also Chanel having the total confidence to hire a complete nobody to the wider public as Chanel brand is so clear and strong like no other house ....they seen that with VV being realistic and commercial did financially well for them so why hire a star.....

 

[Lola701]

As much as i agree with Bruno Pavlovsky statements that the brand is the King/Queen and the CD has to follow and add on to it but not recreate it it one's personal vision, i do be looking at Bruno sideways because in few months before VV left his huge confident statement was also that VV departure is something that wont happen for a long long long long time...... yet it did. (which i understand as well as the fashion president of Chanel you have to give confidence around the brand and shut down negative speculations regardless if true or false or in progress )

I would not be surprised if these statements made where also a way to publicly make and show as a power move that : who ever big they talk to for the job that the brand Chanel has the upperhand in setting the tone and parameters of the job of the Fashion CD for the house that its take it or leave it.

Because it's a very open & specific statement to make he could have sticked with simple one liners that don't say much as per usual.

and a charming meeting with a coffee and a croissant later things can be very different as well ......

Whoever gets the job will be hated any ways by fashion & co as it was with KL and VV just because it's simply CHANEL.

I can see also Chanel having the total confidence to hire a complete nobody to the wider public as Chanel brand is so clear and strong like no other house ....they seen that with VV being realistic and commercial did financially well for them so why hire a star.....

Yes but I don’t think Virginie leaving was in the plans…Short terms or long terms.
As much as we talks about suits and business and things like that, the corporate culture in France is still very different from the one in the Anglo-Saxon world.

She left abruptly so she either quit or was fired. And tbh, I truly don’t think she had a typical « CD » contract that are generally 2 parties that are businesses entities. She probably was an individual tied with a company…That’s why questions about retirement were raised because at 62, as a Chanel employee, with French laws, she can quit.

And the way Chanel moved after didn’t indicated that it was planned. When I saw the BTS videos, it was still the same people that worked with her and Karl and Chanel made a ridiculous point in convincing us that she wasn’t involved in it.

They are a private company after so scheming as much as it is fun to imagine, doesn’t make sense as they can simply avoid interviews.

The Dumas are never there trying to respond on questions regarding Nadege, Véronique or Pierre.

And Pavlovksy comment was too specific in his direction to Slimane for him and his ego, to accept it while being « supposedly in discussions ».

As much as we would love the Weirthemer to be so involved in it, I think Pavlovsky is the one who would choose. He has made insane connections in the fashion scene as being part of La Federation and Chanel’s involvement with Festival de Hyeres and things like that.

The idea of a meeting of Slimane with the Weirthermer in NYC as I read seems unlikely. They might be at the end of the process tho.

 

[Tchi]

Pavlovsky, rightfully so, wants Chanel to be a leading voice in fashion. I don’t think Hedi is the right person for that.

Karl was chosen by Kitty D’Alessio because he never tried to copy Chanel. Their aesthetic are quite opposite in many ways if we exclude his love of Flou that can be tied with the idea of Chanel instilling freedom into womenswear.

We have been too accustomed to the idea that personal aesthetic should dictate the direction of a house.

As someone said earlier in threads, Slimane has always kind of Chanel-fied the brands he has worked for. And while he is a fantastic CD, I don’t think he has anything to offer new or fresh to anyone. It’s an endless partition and a broken record.

He has too much ego to take over the brand of his contemporary like Tom Ford. And Tom Ford as a brand has a problem in terms of being a leading voice in fashion again. In terms of brand identity and creative direction, they are fine.

Hedi is not sensual or versatile enough for Tom Ford. Tom after all was a better designer than Hedi is.

Tbh, Hedi should become either an Art Director and a full time photographer, hold exhibitions, direct music videos, being involved with Art and maybe work on his fashion legacy.
I have an extreme admiration for him but he has nothing more to offer. Of course, he is still the best at what he does but I think Celine is the most accomplished thing he has ever done. He can’t top that, even more considering that his creative peak ended at YSL.

The questions stands, if Not Hedi, Who?

 

[Lola701]

The questions stands, if Not Hedi, Who?

With the sea of designers around, they will find someone.

 

[HigthaVandah]

Whoever gets the job will be hated any ways by fashion & co as it was with KL and VV just because it's simply CHANEL.

So Hedi's CV makes him particularly qualified to lead Chanel because people love to hate Hedi. Hell, I'm a fan and occasional customer and I enjoy ragging on him.

He's very "hateable" but most of the "hate" is for his creative output rather than his personal life, which must be useful for the marketing suits.

Tbh, Hedi should become either an Art Director and a full time photographer, hold exhibitions, direct music videos, being involved with Art and maybe work on his fashion legacy.

I hope he stays in fashion for a while as I personally want to continue adding his pieces to my wardrobe (and dislike the risk of the secondhand market). But if he leaves I'd love to see him direct a feature length art film. He's had plenty of practice directing film at Celine.

 

[NoInvite]

I see this in two ways of thinking.
- Chanel can take anyone and with the right press, merch, image, marketing and so on. The brand is already established it will be eventually grown on the public and client. But this the same thinking as Sabato at Gucci and look how it is.
- Take someone with a name and track record and equipped with a vision and most importantly can create buzz! It's not even announced yet and people are already talking. Chanel doesn't need another designer they need someone to drop a vision to the studio and team. But big name can put it back in the game among other brands.

VV during her time didn't manage to create a seasonal buzz that drives relevancy. Maybe it did on small fashion scale but it's not the same level as Karl. It's 2024 and people still talk about the Supermarket collection. Top management needs to figure out what they need. Maybe they already did

 

[tourbillions]

But this the same thinking as Sabato at Gucci and look how it is.

but gucci was coming from a complete rehaul of the brand that worked only for a few seasons and started to decline. they were not as big and as established as Chanel is now and continuing michele's vision would have lead to more decline. They needed a palette cleanser which is Sabato.

 

[style_expert]

As much as i agree with Bruno Pavlovsky statements that the brand is the King/Queen and the CD has to follow and add on to it but not recreate it it one's personal vision, i do be looking at Bruno sideways because in few months before VV left his huge confident statement was also that VV departure is something that wont happen for a long long long long time...... yet it did. (which i understand as well as the fashion president of Chanel you have to give confidence around the brand and shut down negative speculations regardless if true or false or in progress )

I would not be surprised if these statements made where also a way to publicly make and show as a power move that : who ever big they talk to for the job that the brand Chanel has the upperhand in setting the tone and parameters of the job of the Fashion CD for the house that its take it or leave it.

Because it's a very open & specific statement to make he could have sticked with simple one liners that don't say much as per usual.

and a charming meeting with a coffee and a croissant later things can be very different as well ......

Whoever gets the job will be hated any ways by fashion & co as it was with KL and VV just because it's simply CHANEL.

I can see also Chanel having the total confidence to hire a complete nobody to the wider public as Chanel brand is so clear and strong like no other house ....they seen that with VV being realistic and commercial did financially well for them so why hire a star.....

I agree, I tend to take Pavlovsky's comments with a pinch of salt by now.
He could very well be on his way out himself for all we know, especially since he and Nair are apparently not getting along that well.

If, in any way, they are or have been in touch with Hedi about the Chanel position, it's nothing more than a pure power play where Chanel, of course, completely has the upper hand. They don't need Hedi...

If they were able to realize a huge commercial success with Virginie, almost any unknown or lesser known designer could do the job being heavily pushed and spinned by Chanel marketing. However, a current star designer could make the difference between Chanel doing well and doing extremely well.

 

[Irere]

I know Hedi adapted an existing design, but Givenchy and YSL also had their own monograms and simply reworked them. Yet, they didn’t succeed. But the Triomphe Canvas from Celine has been a success, continuing to be produced and potentially becoming a classic like LV Monogram. If selling Monogram Canvas were easy, all brands would have succeeded. What makes Hedi approach different?

I would say it's very simple: Compared to the other examples you cite, Celine's versions most closely resembles the most successful and timeless versions of the styles — it looks like a hybrid of Louis Vuitton and Gucci. I'm certain this is a very conscious decision; after all, they didn't revive Celine's old monogram with the coaches and giant C's. Moreover, I'd say it's less that Celine was so canny at making a monogram as it is that the others were just so bad at it. All of the other examples cited are just so clunky, inelegant, and, for lack of a better word, try-hard.

 

[yslforever]

I agree, I tend to take Pavlovsky's comments with a pinch of salt by now.
He could very well be on his way out himself for all we know, especially since he and Nair are apparently not getting along that well.

If, in any way, they are or have been in touch with Hedi about the Chanel position, it's nothing more than a pure power play where Chanel, of course, completely has the upper hand. They don't need Hedi...

If they were able to realize a huge commercial success with Virginie, almost any unknown or lesser known designer could do the job being heavily pushed and spinned by Chanel marketing. However, a current star designer could make the difference between Chanel doing well and doing extremely well.

I totally agree, I would take all Pavlosky comments with a large pinch of salt, he was the one saying Virginie was going nowhere, just after the Marseille cruise show.

You all make the assumption that Pavlosky is not going anywhere, I would not be so certain.
Some people think the Viard "debacle" (at least on the creativity side) has deeper roots and was somehow enabled by Pavlosky and his inability or his unwillingness to envision a broader Chanel aethestics, or variations of it.

Just saying he has been with Chanel in this position since 1990, almost in the same period as Viard, same generation, but he did NOT get the CEO position.
For me, it's very telling when someone in the same company for 32 years, 34 years now, is not promoted to the top job and the shareholders prefer to take a risk with someone outside the company and from a pretty different industry. They preferred an Unilever exec, with no experience in fashion or luxury, over him. What happened ?