Hedi Slimane - Designer

[Lola701]

Is his contract up for renewal next year?

When you are Hedi Slimane (or Nicolas Ghesquiere), you normally have a 5 years contract...
So normally, we have 3 years to go. And tbh, he has the crisis to his advantage. The crisis will tone down the growth expectations for the entire industry...

 

[GivenchyAddict]

I think to have Lisa from Blackpink as ambassador will definitely help and to have been focused on Tik Tok as well. What lacks to Celine is the cool factor to sell because the products are on par with what the other brands selling so there is no reason they will not have anyone buying it.

 

[donyan]

I think to have Lisa from Blackpink as ambassador will definitely help and to have been focused on Tik Tok as well. What lacks to Celine is the cool factor to sell because the products are on par with what the other brands selling so there is no reason they will not have anyone buying it.

I think it comes down to Celine just not having the same sense of desirability and cool as other brands, it always comes across as a little try-hard and second-hand to Saint Laurent or even Balenciaga and Gucci. Which is ironic considering that Saint Laurent is still Hedi 2.

 

[tricotineacetat]

Hedi's vision for Celine is a bit schizophrenic if we just compare the bourgeois 70ies style of his recent women's collections on one hand and his latest TikTok streamed menswear on the other. There is a bit for everyone and perhaps trying to please all these different customers and age demographies seems too much of a stretch.

 

[liberty33r1b]

is anybody really surprised it‘s not selling?

 

[Norden]

I like his suiting. It’s impeccable. But otherwise it’s so boring. Also these perfumes, he launched so much, and it’s really cool this idea, but the execution is small and insignificant.
His Celine has no energy I think he’s also bored.

 

[RuggingUpForTheWintour]

I had concerns about Tisci coming to Burberry, and those concerns were correct.

Much like Tisci to Burberry, Slimane does not sensibilities of Celine.

A good designer, but not the right fit for Celine.

 

[Benn98]

is anybody really surprised it‘s not selling?

I am. LOL. Thing is Hedi has been sold to us as the one with the Midas touch, based on his previous successes. This is a huge flop for him. Even if he does turn things around, which I doubt, many will still remember this stretch where influential stylists such as Carine criticised his aesthetic. What made her critique worse is that she's someone actually styling shoots, not a critic. He can dismiss the critics as bitter, SJW, not educated enough, etc, but for someone like Carine to call his collections 'too patrician'? Coming from type of stylist who can be bought at the right price? LOL.

Personally, I think what's wrong with Celine is his aesthetic and the fact that it's completely at odds with the customer. His mistake was being so arrogant to assume that he could merely replicate the same SLP codes at Celine and that it would be a hit. Sadly for him, Anthony copied his tenure almost immediately at SL and made it look fresher and more sought after, and packaged it in far more interesting ways. I can see an entire generation of uninformed shoppers thinking that Anthony's aesthetic is classically SL when it's really more Hedi. And that's part of what is hurting Celine. What an odd state of affairs. LOL.

 

[Norden]

Is there a source where Carine critized hedis work? I’m curious to read

 

[TZ001]

Celine sales increased in Q3

 

[RuggingUpForTheWintour]

This is pretty gorgeous - i'd put a pair of buckle boots with these:

With something like:

 

[tricotineacetat]

Personally, I think what's wrong with Celine is his aesthetic and the fact that it's completely at odds with the customer. His mistake was being so arrogant to assume that he could merely replicate the same SLP codes at Celine and that it would be a hit. Sadly for him, Anthony copied his tenure almost immediately at SL and made it look fresher and more sought after, and packaged it in far more interesting ways. I can see an entire generation of uninformed shoppers thinking that Anthony's aesthetic is classically SL when it's really more Hedi. And that's part of what is hurting Celine. What an odd state of affairs. LOL.

This is actually true. It wasn't so difficult for Vaccarello to fill in for Hedi at Saint Laurent because Hedi's approach was so formulaic there already; as good as it is to have a clear vision, but at a certain point it became all too clear what to expect from a Saint Laurent Paris collection by Hedi Slimane - Just as much as Kris Van Assche's tenure at Dior Homme where Hedi left an immense repertoire of rtue-and-tested best sellers (tailoring, jeans and sneakers), Vaccarello could easily 'remix' similar styles at Saint Laurent and add a more 'sexy' touch to the women's runway and call it a day - Meanwhile, the new Celine fails to incubate a hit item such as the immensely successful Wyatt boots Hedi designed for Saint Laurent.

 

[Benn98]

Is there a source where Carine critized hedis work? I’m curious to read

A natural-born provocateur, Ms. Roitfeld, 64, is perfectly happy to take a swipe at the kind of crusty patrician style resurrected for fall by Hedi Slimane at Celine, and reinterpreted with deadening literalism in the September pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, where models are garbed in a profusion of so-called heritage looks: polo coats, glen plaids and pearls.
To Ms. Roitfeld, those models stand in for a type. “I know this woman very well — I grew up around her,” said Ms. Roitfeld, who was reared in an affluent suburb of Paris. Wryly, she added: “This woman doesn’t have enough money to shop at Hermès, so she goes to Celine. She is not very nice to her maid.”

Full article here - https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/07/...is-the-celebrity-editor-becoming-extinct.html

 

[RuggingUpForTheWintour]

“This woman doesn’t have enough money to shop at Hermès, so she goes to Celine. She is not very nice to her maid.”

Suede gloves come off!

 

[Lola701]

Ultimately, Hedi’s mistake was his arrogance, as @Benn98 said!
It was super arrogant to believe that because people missed you, you could just come back, do the same old thing with the same vision, expect an instant and massive success!

But we are witnessing Hedi realizing things and adjusting slightly his vision. We will see more diversity ( Jason Bolden calling them out made news), he is speaking more to the Tiktok generation who is more Hip-Hop influenced than indie rock (we saw the menswear) and Lisa of Black Pink as an ambassador was a very clever idea! At YSL, he worked with celebrities but they were never tied with contracts!

Celine sales increased in Q3

Of course sales increased. They can only increase from a decrease...

Celine by Hedi Slimane is not an industrial flop! It’s just not the kind of success he had at YSL or Dior and it’s neither the kind of success LVMH expected ( they had 3 billions expectations of I remember).

They have a promising Asian market and all their efforts will be focused there.

I like his suiting. It’s impeccable. But otherwise it’s so boring. Also these perfumes, he launched so much, and it’s really cool this idea, but the execution is small and insignificant.
His Celine has no energy I think he’s also bored.

His perfumes are really the best thing and I like how exclusive and yet mainstream it was as a launch! The boutique at St Honoré really stand out!

 

[Salvatore]

To Ms. Roitfeld, those models stand in for a type. “I know this woman very well — I grew up around her,” said Ms. Roitfeld, who was reared in an affluent suburb of Paris. Wryly, she added: “This woman doesn’t have enough money to shop at Hermès, so she goes to Celine. She is not very nice to her maid.”

The girls are fighting !
The imagery this conjures up is incredible ! The snobbery of it all.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ For Carine to stoop to such cattiness must mean there was some bad blood between the two…

But we are witnessing Hedi realizing things and adjusting slightly his vision. We will see more diversity ( Jason Bolden calling them out made news), he is speaking more to the Tiktok generation who is more Hip-Hop influenced than indie rock (we saw the menswear) and Lisa of Black Pink as an ambassador was a very clever idea! At YSL, he worked with celebrities but they were never tied with contracts!!

But has he really adjusted to the less-than-stellar reception for his Celine???? Casting a more racially-diverse group of kidz and a trap soundtrack doesn’t change the fact that it’s more or less the same brand of basic indie streetwear designs.

My wish would be that he would return to that brand of immaculate and impossibly refined tailoring and design that he put in for his YSL, and to an extend, his Dior Homme with Celine. I don’t wish to see Dior Homme v2.1, just that return to a sophisticated and deservedly more couture-y offering. He can still include the indie/garage band tribute that he seems so creepily fixated on. Along with arrogance, it really comes down to laziness. And in this instance, it’s likely a matter of both which is so... corporate... :sigh:

 

[Lola701]

A natural-born provocateur, Ms. Roitfeld, 64, is perfectly happy to take a swipe at the kind of crusty patrician style resurrected for fall by Hedi Slimane at Celine, and reinterpreted with deadening literalism in the September pages of Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, where models are garbed in a profusion of so-called heritage looks: polo coats, glen plaids and pearls.
To Ms. Roitfeld, those models stand in for a type. “I know this woman very well — I grew up around her,” said Ms. Roitfeld, who was reared in an affluent suburb of Paris. Wryly, she added: “This woman doesn’t have enough money to shop at Hermès, so she goes to Celine. She is not very nice to her maid.”

Full article here - Is the Celebrity Editor Becoming Extinct? (Published 2019)

^^^ For Carine to stoop to such cattiness must mean there was some bad blood between the two…



But has he really adjusted to the less-than-stellar reception for his Celine???? Casting a more racially-diverse group of kidz and a trap soundtrack doesn’t change the fact that it’s more or less the same brand of basic indie streetwear designs.

My wish would be that he would return to that brand of immaculate and impossibly refined tailoring and design that he put in for his YSL, and to an extend, his Dior Homme with Celine. I don’t wish to see Dior Homme v2.1, just that return to a sophisticated and deservedly more couture-y offering. He can still include the indie/garage band tribute that he seems so creepily fixated on. Along with arrogance, it really comes down to laziness. And in this instance, it’s likely a matter of both which is so... corporate... :sigh:

I don’t think there’s bad blood between them...She wore Celine when she appeared on Quotidien (French talk show), she still uses Celine on her magazine and stuff.
I think it’s something that was maybe lost in translation but I totally get what she is saying...The classical bourgeois look of Celine was really that. Hedi used it and made it maybe cooler but the essence of Celine is really that...The bourgeois YSL look is more a fantasy. In reality, they were buying Celine.

I don’t know what I want from Hedi tbh. We are always referring to his past as if he hasn’t evolved since then. I think what he did at YSL Rive Gauche was really linked to who he was at that time and the idea of modernity in the 90’s was really a reaction to the 80’s and 70’s. Yes, it would look fresh today but I don’t think it’s necessary what I want.
The problem with Hedi is that his work does not take inspiration from the past, it just recreate it and put it in a different context. It’s interesting to see Nicolas and Hedi working today. They have 3 years in age difference and while they both reference the past, their approach couldn’t be more different. One uses the past as a base for his creativity and the other uses the past as a emotional base in a way.

What Hedi needs is simple: someone who can challenge his aesthetic and taste. Hedi creates, styles, casts, photographs, design the stores, the packaging and everything. His vision couldn’t be more linear. He should maybe work with Emmanuelle...Someone who can bring a fresher perspective to his work.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Yes, I suppose Carine is just being frank. (I can picture her speaking these words...)

Hedi remains a solid imagemaker/brandnbuilder. He also seems extremely difficult to suffer and as long as he remains reasonably influential, he’s going to continue at this trajectory. And despite how I feel about him, I find his brand of talent much more attractive— along with his ability for worldbuilding than Nicolas (who always comes across much more approachable with a more solid sense of self-awareness). And it’s because Hedi has shown to be a superior menswear designer — of which to be so distinct is so so so much harder than in womenswear, while Nicolas has never offered anything in the menswear department.

However, with Nicolas, I always get the impression he’s saving his best designs-- biding for the right time. I’m not so sure anymore with Hedi.

 

[Lola701]

^^^ Yes, I suppose Carine is just being frank. (I can picture her speaking these words...)

Hedi remains a solid imagemaker/brandnbuilder. He also seems extremely difficult to suffer and as long as he remains reasonably influential, he’s going to continue at this trajectory. And despite how I feel about him, I find his brand of talent much more attractive— along with his ability for worldbuilding than Nicolas (who always comes across much more approachable with a more solid sense of self-awareness). And it’s because Hedi has shown to be a superior menswear designer — of which to be so distinct is so so so much harder than in womenswear, while Nicolas has never offered anything in the menswear department.

However, with Nicolas, I always get the impression he’s saving his best designs-- biding for the right time. I’m not so sure anymore with Hedi.

If there’s one thing about Carine, is that she is very genuine. But at the same time, she is really not the type to display that kind of cattiness on such a public platform.

What I hate about Hedi is that his confidence is on the verge of arrogance. I like that designers sometimes doubts, change things, evolve their aesthetic. I think his vision is great in menswear! Obviously, I’m more interested in womenswear (for obvious reasons) and I don’t think his vision is that singular in womenswear...
Celine womenswear is fine on it own. There’s great tailoring, good timeless pieces but apart from the sequined pieces, most of the offering is not a fresh or new take on bourgeois dressing. But what he does in menswear is untouchable.

Someone mentioned Burberry And I maybe repeat myself but I think the Hedi Approach is what Burberry should be: a slightly elevated version of clothes people wears, no insane creative thing. Just clothes that fix problem but not necessary vintage either.