Hedi Slimane's Céline could double revenue in five years
The announcement of Hedi Slimane's move to Céline created a good deal of excitement in the fashion world, and more details are now emerging about his unexpected switch. In fact, it seems that the project being set up by the star designer is already well developed.
Phoebe Philo, who for ten years led the Parisian label owned since 1996 by luxury group LVMH, will sign her last collection for Céline in March, before handing over the reins to Hedi Slimane. He in turn will unveil his first collection for Céline at the Paris Fashion Week in October, with the Spring/Summer 2019 season.
According to our sources, it should be a mixed show, featuring menswear and womenswear, as well as a few couture pieces. Hedi Slimane's mission is to add a menswear line to the world of Céline, to expand the couture collection and also to work on the fragrance line. Besides product development, he will also take care of the label's brand image at all levels, from advertising campaigns to the stores' interior design.
As Slimane himself indicated, his approach is "holistic", and all of the fashion house's various facets will converge in a single, cohesive whole under his leadership. It is something Slimane had already implemented at Saint Laurent, with the exception of fragrances, which were run by L’Oréal, an element which, among others, contributed to his break-up with the Kering luxury label. The first Céline fragrance which will be entirely Slimane's own handiwork is expected to be launched in 12 to 18 months.
According to a source close to Céline, "for the time being there is no question of hiring a dedicated menswear [design] team, since existing studio staff will take care of both the women's and men's collections." Though Hedi Slimane will continue to live in Los Angeles, he will not be able to shift Céline's creative team to California though, as he did for Saint Laurent.
"He will travel back and forth between Los Angeles and Paris. The creative studio and the prototyping work will be done in Paris," a source within the label told FashionNetwork.com. The same source said that "a men's store designed by Hedi Slimane will be established very soon in the French capital."
With Hedi Slimane, Céline hopes to repeat the feat he performed at Saint Laurent, for whom he was in charge of style between 2012 and 2016, and where the designer made revenue grow 75%, reaching €974 million in 2015. The revenue of the LVMH label, managed by Séverine Merle and currently operating nearly 140 stores, is estimated at €1 billion.
"The objective, thanks to Hedi Slimane's cool factor, is to double the revenue within five years," said a source from Céline.
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