Hedi Slimane ushers in biker chic for LVMH's big Celine bet
A model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
PARIS (Reuters) - Designer Hedi Slimane gave Celine a rock-and-roll makeover in his much-hyped debut collection at the brand during Paris Fashion Week, with biker jackers, ultra-thin suits and sexy mini-dresses galore in a blunt departure from the label's past incarnations.
LVMH, the world's biggest luxury group and owner of mega-brands such as Louis Vuitton, is pushing Celine as its next star performer under Slimane, as it rolls out a men's line and fragrances, and further develops online sales.
Celine's former creative director Phoebe Philo, who stepped down in December, had already added to its appeal among fashionistas with a quality of understated elegance, and the label was also sought after for its handbags.
Designer Hedi Slimane at his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
With Slimane - a trendsetter credited with revolutionizing menswear with the razor-thin silhouettes he introduced at LVMH's Christian Dior in the early 2000s - Celine is in for radical change, beyond the accented "e" he has already ditched from the brand name, to a mixed reaction on social media.
A star-studded catwalk show just outside the Invalides monument in Paris where Napoleon is buried - attended by singer Lady Gaga, actress Catherine Deneuve and fashion royalty including self-professed Slimane fan Karl Lagerfeld - gave a sense of the brand's ambitions.
Following a quite literal drum roll by members of a special French gendarmerie unit, a model emerged from a sea of mirrors in a black and white, polka-dotted oversized bow of a mini-dress, setting the tone for a largely monochrome collection.
Lady Gaga and Karl Lagerfeld attend the Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Black suits for him followed sexy, sequined black dresses for her, with occasional splashes of silver and gold outfits fit for the disco, and buckled biker boots for a rock-and-roll edge.
The collection put Celine firmly in the sexy, evening-wear territory staked out by Saint Laurent - the brand owned by LVMH rival Kering and where Slimane held the design reins from 2012 to 2016 - at a time when other labels are turning out more so-called streetwear, with sportier looks and sneakers.
LVMH boss Bernard Arnault has said the group aims to grow annual revenue at Celine to between 2 billion and 3 billion euros ($2.3 billion - $3.5 billion) within five years, from close to 1 billion euros now.
A model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
Other high-stakes designer debuts in the past month of spring and summer fashion shows in New York, London and Milan included ex-Givenchy star Riccardo Tisci's first collection for Britain's Burberry.
Paris Fashion Week runs until Oct. 2.
($1 = 0.8620 euros)
A model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
(Reporting by Sarah White and Noemie Olive)
A model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesThe logo of fashion house Celine is seen in front of the Dome des Invalides before their Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo FuentesA model presents a creation by designer Hedi Slimane as part of his Spring/Summer 2019 women's ready-to-wear collection show for fashion house Celine during Paris Fashion Week in Paris, France, September 28, 2018. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
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