Phoebe Philo - Life After Chloe - *Update* Creative Director for Celine

[Zazie]

I feel torn ... while I would love to see Phoebe back on the scene, I think Ivana's doing a good job at Celine ... I'm sure this whatever-it-is has got to be hard on her I sure would hate to read that the only sticking point with replacing me was that the other woman wanted several times my salary Celine produces some really lovely, wearable clothes. And even Zazie was impressed with this most recent collection If you ask me, what they really need is better PR, not a new designer.

Heee.... indeed it'd be immediately known if I were very displeased! Evil tantrums like you'd never seen!

I really liked the first collection she did for Celine, a lot more exploratory in cut and style, a lot closer to a sportif Ann-Sophie Back/AnnD type of woman. In that it is a really good collection, cute and clever. Although I always hated Kors, it's a pity she didn't try to interprete that big bold jewellery, fake-tan, jetsetting "Gisele" sort of image Kors has set for Celine like Spike said. Could have been done in a witty and contemporary way that Kors is not capable of, updated vaguely 70s/80s glamazon, another fashion breed that will be missed from the runway.

Hope she manages to sell this collection, she's quite talented.What I fear is that she has veered so far, she might suffer PMA's fate. I loved what he did for Chloe the first time, but it went down the hill after he tried to bring back some of Philo's aesthetics and methods which are so different from his own edgier signature, a younger, hipper, more unexpected Marni.

It'll be great to see Philo at it again, hopefully with her own label, though I would hope she has moved on from the 70-ish blouses and frocks she did at Chloe, which to me is like a more elaborate and expensive Vanessa Bruno. She has enough fans to start her own line, for sure!

 

[disco54]

^^^^ she did with her last collection?????????? Another thing most of things Phoebe did werent trendy but really timeless girly classics . Another thing chloes modern image is so entrenched in retro tailoring its hard to deviate from it and personally I have no problem with that , PMA tried to change that but alienated customers . Chloe is like a young chanel , Chloe girls want the same staples but also change at the same time .

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ I have to admit I wasn't paying any attention to Celine back in the Kors days But nothing he is doing for his main line makes me wish for any more of anything like it anywhere else

 

[DuTTyRoCK112]

This could be interesting. I appreciated Michael Kors at Celine, and so the name of the house always projected this very expensive, jet-setting, womanly glamour. The current designer just doesn't cut it at all. Phoebe can perhaps inject some of that glamour again, albeit with a cool, relaxed finish.

 

[manolocraver]

I think Ivana Omazic did a great job for Celine ... women all over the world are in love with Celine now and it's no longer an oxymoron fashion label from Paris that my mom thought belonged to Celine Dion.

 

[fashionista-ta]

^ Are we in past tense yet?

 

[Creative]

For those who didn't know, Chloe names Hannah McGibbon Creative Director.
http://www.fashionwiredaily.com/first_word/news/article.weml?id=1856

 

[helmut.newton]

^^^ Hannah McGibbon is like the poor mans Phoebe Philo

Her designs are trying to be like Phoebe-era Chloe but won't ever come close.

To me that appointment is like Chloe tried to hire Philo but couldn't - so went for her right hand man so to speak.

 

[chloehandbags]

^ Have you seen her S/S '09 designs, already, helmut?

Or are you referring to the A/W '08 - '09 collection (which was designed under Paulo, not Hannah)?


ETA: Scratch that - I've just seen Resort!

 

[helmut.newton]

^^^^ yes, the unfortunate resort collection.

Its nice and safe. I'm hoping she wont play it safe at Chloe for Spring 2009.

 

[chloehandbags]

^ Yes, me too.

 

[twin star]

from WWD

RANK AND PHILO: While most of the French fashion industry is on its annual August vacation, the Paris rumor mill is still churning about one subject:Celine. Speculation is rife the fashion house, part of LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton, is zeroing in on a deal to bring in former Chloé designer Phoebe Philo, with an announcement possible as early as September. According to sources, Philo could be in place to present her first Celine collection in March 2009.

 

[helmut.newton]

^^^ WOW!

But so far away!!! March 2009?!

 

[Deleted member 7575]

It's soon if you consider that most houses started work on fall 2009 a month or so ago, if she were put in place this moment she'd be farther behind than she'd like. She'd have to design pre-fall as well as fall, winter, and eventually holiday before or right after the march show.

 

[chessmess]

unhappy
i love ivana for chloe

 

[MissMagAddict]

Source | WWD

PARIS — Bernard Arnault has netted another fashion star for his luxury universe, naming Phoebe Philo as the new creative director of Celine.

The British designer — widely credited for catapulting Chloé into the big leagues with her hip and feminine clothes and accessories — is to start in October. She will present her first Celine collection next March for the fall-winter 2009 season, with a runway debut seven months later.

The appointment, confirmed exclusively to WWD, comes after months of speculation and underscores how Arnault is serious about revving up second-tier brands at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton.

 

[PetitLapinVegan]

Source | WWD

Celine Taps Phoebe Philo
by MILES SOCHA
Posted THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 04, 2008
From WWD ISSUE 09/04/2004

PARIS — Bernard Arnault has netted another fashion star for his luxury universe, naming Phoebe Philo as the new creative director of Celine.

The British designer — widely credited for catapulting Chloé into the big leagues with her hip and feminine clothes and accessories — is to start in October. She will present her first Celine collection next March for the fall-winter 2009 season, with a runway debut seven months later.

The appointment, confirmed exclusively to WWD, comes after months of speculation and underscores how Arnault is serious about revving up second-tier brands at LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton. WWD first reported Philo was in talks with LVMH on March 21.

The appointment also marks a splashy comeback for the popular Philo, who has been largely absent from the fashion scene since she resigned from Chloé in January 2006.

“By giving her Celine, we’re giving her a platform to express her vision,” said Pierre-Yves Roussel, chief executive officer of LVMH’s fashion division. “For Celine, which is a bit more grown-up as a brand, the fit is very good in terms of her style, her personality and where she is in terms of her own development.”

“In the current climate customers are looking for something that will get them interested and excited about buying again,” Philo told WWD. “I want to create clothes, shoes, bags and accessories that are relevant to right now — modern, exciting designs that women will desire and appreciate.”

In tandem with Philo’s arrival at Celine comes a new executive, and a consequent management shuffle at LVMH. Marco Gobbetti, who orchestrated a turnaround at Givenchy, will become president and managing director at Celine, also effective in October.

Meanwhile, current Celine chief Serge Brunschwig is heading to Christian Dior to become chief operating officer, filling a slot left vacant when Claus-Dietrich Lahrs decamped to become ceo of Hugo Boss AG. Brunschwig reports to Dior president and ceo Sidney Toledano.

The succession plan at Givenchy has yet to be disclosed; however, Gobbetti said he would remain at Givenchy through a transition phase and become a board member of the house.

In an interview, Roussel touted the depth of management talent at LVMH and the mobility it offers executives, and said it was important not “to sacrifice one brand for another.…We’re growing people into brands that are bigger and more complex.”

He also trumpeted the importance of strong chemistry between the designer of a brand, the management and the shareholder. To wit: The arrival at Celine of Philo — now 34 and a mother of two young children — was feted Wednesday at LVMH headquarters, where Arnault hosted a celebratory lunch attended by his daughter Delphine, Roussel and Gobbetti. “This full alignment is very important,” Roussel stressed. “We’re all convinced of the fit, and the potential of the brand going forward.”

Roussel said the priority at Celine would be “full creative renewal of the product.” Philo’s arrival also will coincide with an investment phase to renew the brand’s store network and to announce the new creative direction in advertising and communication.

“The ingredients are there for a very, very exciting project,” Gobbetti told WWD, describing “great potential in terms of creativity, the relevance of collections and in terms of development.”

Philo will succeed Ivana Omazic, a Croatian designer tapped from Prada Group in 2005 to steer Celine into woman-friendly territory. Omazic herself succeeded ex-Burberry designer Roberto Menichetti, who had a lackluster one-year collaboration at Celine.

During her tenure, Omazic was charged with expanding Celine’s footwear category, the original foundation of the 63-year-old French brand, and set out to reclaim its sportswear roots as a purveyor of “luxury clothes for everyday life.” She tapped photographer Bruce Weber to shoot the company’s ad campaigns in a narrative, spontaneous style illustrating its joie de vivre.

Still, the brand has never reclaimed the buzz of the days when American Michael Kors was at the design helm, from 1997 to 2004. Omazic will leave Celine after the spring-summer 2009 fashion show in Paris on Oct. 2, the company said, also thanking her for a “significant contribution to the ongoing modernization of the brand.”

While far less prominent than Louis Vuitton or Fendi, considered “star brands” in Arnault’s luxury parlance, Celine is a sizable business with a retail network of some 130 stores, concentrated in Asia, which represents about half the business. Market sources estimate Celine’s volume at around 200 million euros, or about $290 million at current exchange rates. The business is believed to be close to breakeven.

Arnault has recently demonstrated a commitment to his smaller brands, promoting Roussel in January 2007 and charging him with driving them to profitability, a feat already achieved. Roussel oversees the fashion houses Celine, Givenchy, Kenzo, Marc Jacobs, Loewe, Pucci and Berluti. He was previously LVMH’s executive vice president, strategy and operations, and already had played a behind-the-scenes role in fine-tuning management and creative teams at several of those fashion houses.

Gobbetti, who with creative director Riccardo Tisci steered Givenchy out of fashion’s wilderness into profitable growth and critical acclaim, will be charged with building Celine’s sluggish wholesale business and capitalizing on Philo’s star power.

Toledano said Brunschwig would start immediately, with responsibility for Dior’s retail network, now numbering 232 locations, and wholesale operations. He described Brunschwig, who has also worked for Louis Vuitton and Sephora, as “one of the biggest experts” on emerging markets like Asia and the Middle East, with “strong marketing experience in fashion and luxury goods.”

“It’s a great opportunity,” said Brunschwig. “For me, Dior has always been the brightest luxury brand in the market with one of the biggest potentials.”

As for Philo, LVMH has been in exclusive talks with the designer since last November, and Roussel said discussions initially centered on the launch of a signature brand. However, “it became very evident that there was a good fit for Celine and the project she had in mind,” Roussel said. “I found her to be someone with an extremely clear vision.…She’s very ambitious as a person in terms of getting her creative project out on the market in a meaningful way.”

Roussel praised Philo’s accomplishments at Chloé — and talent for articulating her fashion vision. “She described a collection plan with a level of clarity I’ve never seen in a designer,” he said.

Philo’s return to fashion’s big stage, after doing some under-the-radar consulting work for Gap in Europe, will certainly be a marquee event given her track record.

She joined Chloé in 1997 as part of designer Stella McCartney’s team. The two were classmates at London’s Central Saint Martins fashion school and worked together when McCartney launched her own collection after graduation. In 2001, Philo took the top Chloé job when McCartney left to set up her own fashion house in a joint venture with Gucci Group.

With her good looks and personal style — a mix of tomboy and chic elegance — Philo succeeded in accelerating Chloé’s rejuvenation, despite an arms-length policy with the press. Her iconic Paddington bag was among a string of accessory hits that catapulted Chloé into the high-margin leather goods business.

Philo resigned for personal reasons, mainly to spend more time with her family and first child, Maya, amidst growing pressures and responsibilities at the fast-growing brand. She later bore a son, Marlow, and plans to remain based in London with her children and her husband, art dealer Max Wigram.

While she has kept a relatively low profile on the social scene, Philo is said to have put out feelers to fashion’s biggest players — including Chloé parent Compagnie Financière Richemont — about launching a signature fashion house. However, reluctance on the part of potential backers to fund start-ups — and what sources describe as hefty salary and other demands on Philo’s part — meant no deal came to fruition.

Roussel said Philo would save “at least five years” by stepping into a brand like Celine with boutiques in top locations around the world and factories for leather goods.

Celine plans to create studios in London to accommodate Philo, who always shuttled back to her hometown even during her Chloé days to feed on the British capital’s creative energy. Roussel said Philo would work out of London “most of the time.”

source: WWD

 

[MissMagAddict]

Celine Taps Phoebe Philo
by MILES SOCHA
Posted THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 04, 2008
From WWD ISSUE 09/04/2004

Thank you for posting the full article

 

[Jacque Marcel]

I can't wait to see if she can work her magic again at Celine. Thanks everyone for the news...

 

[Meg]

Interesting....