Well, that was quick. This morning, Celine dropped the news that Hedi Slimane was stepping down from the brand after seven years, and before the dust had even settled we now know that Michael Rider is replacing him. The LVMH-owned fashion house made the announcement this afternoon (October 2), hot on the heels of Slimane’s departure earlier in the day.
Rumours have been swirling for months that Celine was eyeing up the Ralph Lauren designer, with WWD reporting on the potential move back in April. Rider, who worked at Celine for a decade before joining Ralph Lauren, expressing his excitement about rejoining the brand, saying “Celine is a maison with values very close to my heart and a beautiful heritage to build on.”
Celine CEO Severine Merle echoed those sentiments, adding that she was “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.”
Below, we break down everything you need to know about Rider, from his tenure at Polo Ralph Lauren to the experience that makes him the perfect choice for the role.
Rider graduated from Brown University in Rhode Island in 2002 and began his career with Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, where he worked as a senior designer from 2004 to 2008. After four years at Balenciaga, Rider joined Celine under Phoebe Philo, working as a design director for a decade, so today‘s appointment marks something of a homecoming. His time there coincided with the brand’s golden era, when Philo’s minimalist aesthetic and modern femininity became the cornerstone of Celine’s global appeal. After Philo’s departure in 2017, Rider left not long after and took on the role of creative director at Polo Ralph Lauren in 2018. He left Ralph Lauren at the end of May this year.
Rider takes over from Hedi Slimane, who parted ways with Celine on the same day as the announcement of Rider’s appointment. Slimane’s tenure at the brand, which began in 2018, was anything but subtle. Known for his radical vision, Slimane famously removed the accent from Céline, redefined the house’s aesthetic, and expanded into menswear within his first few months. His SS19 debut collection was met with widespread criticism for departing too dramatically from Philo’s vision.
However, Slimane quickly found his stride with the AW19 collection, embracing a bourgeois French-girl look that garnered high praise. His ability to fuse Parisian chic with LA rockstar edge kept Celine relevant to a younger, affluent audience, contributing to impressive growth. By 2023, Celine’s annual sales had soared to an estimated €2.6 billion, securing its position as LVMH’s third-largest fashion house, after Louis Vuitton and Dior. So, Rider certainly has big shoes to fill, which inevitably begs the question…
Though Rider has maintained a relatively low profile compared to Slimane, his influence on the fashion world is profound. As creative director at Polo Ralph Lauren, he was credited with revitalising the preppy aesthetic, subtly blending its classic American heritage with a modern twist.
Now, returning to Celine, Rider is expected to inject his quiet yet powerful vision into the maison. His return is likely to mark a shift back towards the understated elegance that Celine became known for under Philo, but with a fresh perspective that acknowledges the changing landscape of fashion. Rider’s deep understanding of the brand’s DNA, combined with his track record for making heritage cool again, positions him perfectly to build on Celine’s legacy while pushing it forward.
