The former Ralph Lauren designer will replace Hedi Slimane

Another American in a French house and the second at Celine. No sooner had we shared that Hedi Slimane was leaving Celine, than it was announced that Michael Rider will be taking over. According to the news now raging, it happened just three hour after LVMH, Celine’s owner, issued a statement to the media. That was fast. Bullet train fast. Celine even issued an official photo of their new guy. Mr Slimane’s departure, as it turned out, was in the making and the hiring of the new guy (and the negotiations that accompanied it) went into full drive. Mr Rider left Ralph Lauren in April (some reports say May), and we know that rumblings of his predecessor leaving Celine were beginning to be audible back then. Considering that creative director appointments do take some time to come about, were things more or less firmed up between Celine and Hedi Slimane at least six months ago? A quiet hire it might have been but the grapevine did include Mr Rider as a potential if—or when—Mr Slimane leaves.

Mr Rider comes with an impressive resume. At Ralph Lauren, the New Yorker was credited with having “significantly contributed” to the brand’s supposedly refreshed design direction. At the beginning of his career, Mr Rider, a graduate of art history at Brown University in Rhode Island, worked with Nicolas Ghesquière during the latter’s successful Balenciaga years. He then spent an impressive decade at Celine underneath Phoebe Philo, who forged an impressive career at the 79-year-old brand. It is reported that he will start work in early 2025, which means his first collection would be spring/summer 2026. CEO of Celine, Séverine Merle, was quoted in a press release the brand released: “I am delighted to welcome Michael back to Celine, a maison that he knows intimately. Michael’s vision, creative talent, together with his genuine nature and strong connection to Celine’s heritage make him a natural choice to continue to build a long-lasting success for the maison.” The question is, will Michael Rider bring back Céline?