We’re only a few days away from finally seeing the new Celine. For all his Instagram teasing and gifts to Lady Gaga, creative director Hedi Slimane has certainly racked up a lot of publicity — and caused more than a little anxiety amongst Celine fans sad to see Phoebe Philo go in the first place. Naturally, people reacted when Slimane wiped the brand’s Instagram account and took the accented “é” out of the logo. But in a new interview with Le Figaro (translated by Business of Fashion), Slimane patiently explains that when a new designer enters the fold, things are naturally going to have to change.
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“Our respective styles are identifiable and very different. Our vision is naturally distinct,” he said. “You don’t enter a fashion house to imitate the work of your predecessor, much less to take over the essence of their work, their codes and elements of their language. The goal is not to go the opposite way of their work either. It would be a misinterpretation. Respect is to preserve the integrity of everyone, to recognize things that belong to another person with honesty and discernment.”
Logically it’s not a revelation to learn that Slimane’s aesthetic differs from Philo’s, and that it would be weird for him to crib her style. With that in mind, fans should take comfort in the fact that he respects Philo’s tenure, and give him the space to take the house in a new direction.
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As for all the drama surrounding the logo change, he insists it wasn’t about him marking his territory. Rather, it’s about shaking things up.
“The reactions to the logos are always very emotional, and today there are amplified by the viral effect of social media,” he mused. “All of this was anticipated. But it had to be done. The grandes maisons are alive. They must evolve and unearth the essence of what they truly are — everything but indifference. You don’t shake things up by avoiding making waves. When there is no debate, it means there is no opinion — the definition of blind conformity.”
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