Celine, officially styled CELINE, is a French luxury fashion house headquartered in Paris. Founded in 1945 by Céline Vipiana, the brand began as a made-to-measure children’s footwear business before expanding into women’s fashion, leather goods, and eventually a broad luxury lifestyle universe. Today, Celine is part of LVMH (Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton) and stands as one of the group’s major fashion and leather-goods maisons.

Quick Facts

1945–1960s: The Beginning

Celine was founded in 1945 by Céline and Richard Vipiana in Paris. The business originally specialized in made-to-measure children’s shoes. Unlike many contemporary luxury houses that started with haute couture or adult ready-to-wear, Celine’s early identity was closely connected to craftsmanship, practicality, and Parisian elegance.

During the 1960s, the company expanded into women’s fashion and leather goods. Céline Vipiana began developing handbags and other leather products, establishing the leather-goods tradition that remains central to the house today.

1960s–1980s: Expansion

Celine gradually moved beyond footwear into a wider range of categories, including:

• Women’s ready-to-wear
• Handbags
• Leather accessories
• Scarves
• Belts
• Other fashion accessories

The brand developed an image associated with understated Parisian luxury, distinct from the theatrical glamour often associated with other French maisons. The house’s leather goods became particularly important, with Celine’s ateliers continuing to combine traditional craftsmanship with modern production techniques. 2

1987–1996: Acquisition by LVMH

In the late 1980s, Celine came under the control of Bernard Arnault’s luxury group. In 1996, Celine was officially acquired by LVMH, following the creation of LVMH in 1987 through the merger of Moët Hennessy and Louis Vuitton. 3 This acquisition placed Celine alongside major maisons such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Givenchy, and Loewe within the same luxury ecosystem.

Celine’s modern reputation is strongly connected to a succession of influential creative directors who have each defined a distinct era for the brand.

Michael Kors (1997–2004)

American designer Michael Kors became Celine’s creative director in 1997. His tenure helped establish Celine more firmly as an international luxury fashion brand, bringing a more glamorous, polished, and commercially oriented approach to the house. The aesthetic during this period differed considerably from what Celine would later become under subsequent designers.

Roberto Menichetti and Ivana Omazic

After Kors, Celine went through several creative changes. Roberto Menichetti briefly led the house, followed by Ivana Omazic. These periods were relatively transitional compared with the enormous influence that followed.

Phoebe Philo (2008–2018)

If one designer can be credited with defining modern Celine, it is Phoebe Philo. Philo became creative director in 2008, after her successful period at Chloé. Her Celine became famous for a particular form of intellectual, minimalist luxury.

Instead of relying heavily on obvious logos or traditional ideas of glamour, Philo emphasized:

• Strong silhouettes
• Minimalism
• Exceptional materials
• Functional luxury
• Oversized proportions
• Sculptural shapes
• Quiet colors
• Sophisticated tailoring
• Architectural handbags
• A sense of effortless femininity

The Philo-era Celine became enormously influential among fashion editors, designers, and luxury consumers. Her work also helped popularize what is now commonly described as “quiet luxury,” although the term itself gained broader popularity years later. Philo’s approach suggested that luxury does not have to announce itself; a Celine coat or handbag could be recognizable because of its shape, construction, and materials, rather than a prominent logo.

Hedi Slimane (2018–2024)

In 2018, Celine appointed Hedi Slimane as its artistic, creative, and image director. This appointment marked a dramatic shift from Phoebe Philo’s aesthetic. Slimane, already famous for his work at Dior Homme and Saint Laurent, introduced a vision characterized by:

• Parisian rock ‘n’ roll
• Youth culture
• Skinny silhouettes
• Leather jackets
• Sharp tailoring
• Short dresses
• Denim
• Boots
• Nightlife references
• 1960s–1970s nostalgia
• Music and subculture influences
• Black-and-white photography

He also expanded Celine significantly into menswear, as well as developing couture-related and fragrance activities. LVMH’s announcement specifically gave Slimane responsibility for women’s and men’s fashion, leather goods, accessories, and fragrances.

Logo Change

One of Slimane’s most visible changes was the redesign of the Celine wordmark. The accent in “Céline” was removed, resulting in the modern CELINE, creating a cleaner, more contemporary visual identity.

Michael Rider (2024–Present)

In 2024, Celine announced Michael Rider as its new creative director, succeeding Hedi Slimane. Rider previously had a long association with Polo Ralph Lauren and had also worked at Celine during Phoebe Philo’s era. His first Celine collection was Spring/Summer 2026.

Rider’s arrival represents another major transition for the house. Rather than simply recreating either Philo’s or Slimane’s Celine, his approach attempts to reconnect with Celine’s heritage while establishing a new contemporary identity. For his first collection, Rider emphasized ideas of quality, timelessness, and style, incorporating recognizable Celine elements such as scarves, jewelry, chains, and leather accessories. 4 By 2026, his collections were emphasizing a mixture of Parisian heritage, modern tailoring, individuality, and relaxed elegance.

Celine operates as a broad luxury house, offering a wide range of products beyond clothing.

Fashion

• Women’s ready-to-wear
• Men’s ready-to-wear
• Tailoring
• Dresses
• Knitwear
• Denim
• Outerwear
• Shirts
• Skirts
• Trousers

Leather Goods

Leather goods are one of Celine’s most important categories. Major handbag families have included:

• Luggage: Became one of the defining luxury handbags of the 2010s under Phoebe Philo. It features a structured body, wing-like side panels, front zipper details, rounded handles, and distinctive proportions. Celine has continued to reinterpret the Luggage rather than abandoning it; the Spring 2026 collection introduced a softer, more relaxed version.
• Triomphe: Represents Celine’s more explicitly recognizable logo-driven side, combining the house’s historic symbol with contemporary handbag shapes.
• 16: A classic and structured design referencing traditional French leather-goods craftsmanship.
• Belt Bag
• Box
• Ava
• Cabas
• Phantom
• Trapeze

Celine’s current collections continue to develop its leather-goods heritage while introducing new interpretations. For Spring 2026, the house introduced the Soft Triomphe and a reimagined Luggage.

Shoes

Celine produces boots, loafers, sneakers, sandals, pumps, and heels.

Accessories

• Sunglasses
• Belts
• Jewelry
• Scarves
• Hats
• Small leather goods
• Other fashion accessories

Fragrance

Under Hedi Slimane, Celine developed an important Haute Parfumerie collection. Built around a vision of French perfumery, the collection includes fragrances such as:

• Parade
• Saint-Germain-des-Prés
• Cologne Française
• Dans Paris
• La Peau Nue
• Eau de Californie
• Black Tie
• Reptile
• Nightclubbing

Celine describes the collection as rooted in French high perfumery and the tradition of the “couturier parfumeur.” The Haute Parfumerie line is positioned as a high-end extension of the fashion house rather than a mass-market perfume line. 4

The Triomphe Symbol

One of Celine’s most recognizable symbols today is the Triomphe. The motif consists of two interlocking C shapes. It has become particularly important in handbags, wallets, belts, jewelry, shoes, clothing, and hardware. The Triomphe connects contemporary Celine with its historical identity.

Core Concepts

Celine’s identity has changed dramatically under different creative directors, but several ideas repeatedly appear throughout its history:

Parisian Elegance: Celine is fundamentally a Parisian fashion house. Its aesthetic draws on Parisian architecture, French tailoring, art, music, youth culture, everyday life, and French craftsmanship.

Functional Luxury: Celine frequently combines luxury materials with practical designs. This is particularly visible in its handbags, which are intended to function as everyday objects while still communicating status and craftsmanship.

Reinvention: The ability to reinvent itself is a defining characteristic.

• Phoebe Philo made the brand intellectual and minimalist.
• Hedi Slimane made it youthful and rock-oriented.
• Michael Rider is currently exploring a more timeless and heritage-conscious direction.

Craftsmanship

Leather craftsmanship is central to Celine. The house’s ateliers work with high-quality materials and combine traditional handcraft with modern technical precision. LVMH describes the ateliers as custodians of savoir-faire passed through generations. 2 This philosophy can be summarized as: design + materials + construction + functionality.

“Quiet Luxury” vs. Expressive Luxury

While Celine is often associated with quiet luxury, especially due to Phoebe Philo’s influence, calling the entire brand “quiet luxury” is somewhat misleading. The house has also embraced strong logos, rock aesthetics, youth culture, bold silhouettes, statement accessories, celebrity campaigns, and dramatic runway collections. Celine is better understood as a brand capable of both discreet and expressive luxury.

Celine occupies an interesting position within the French luxury industry. It sits between quiet luxury and fashion-forward luxury. It is not as visibly logo-heavy as Louis Vuitton, but it can also be considerably more fashion-oriented than brands whose identity is built primarily around timeless basics.

Celine’s headquarters are located at 16 rue Vivienne, 75002 Paris, France. The location is significant because the house remains deeply connected to Paris and its history.

Celine belongs to LVMH, the world’s largest luxury-goods group. LVMH acquired Celine in 1996. 3 This means Celine operates within the same luxury ecosystem as brands such as Louis Vuitton, Dior, Fendi, Givenchy, Loewe, Bulgari, Tiffany & Co., Kenzo, and Marc Jacobs. However, Celine maintains its own creative direction, ateliers, branding, and product identity.

As of 2026, Celine is in the early stages of the Michael Rider era. This is an important moment because Rider is following one of the most recognizable periods in Celine’s history—Hedi Slimane’s seven-year tenure. His collections have been exploring a more nuanced version of Celine that combines heritage, modernity, tailoring, accessories, Parisian lifestyle, and individuality. His Spring/Summer 2026 collection brought back strong emphasis on scarves, leather goods, and recognizable Celine codes while introducing new shapes and accessories. His Winter 2026 collection continued this direction, using layering, tailoring, leather, scarves, boots, and accessories while emphasizing personal expression.

1. Official CELINE website
2. CELINE ATELIERS : un savoir-faire d’excellence – LVMH
3. CELINE ATELIERS: excellence in craftsmanship – LVMH
4. FIRST CHAPTER / FRAGRANCES COLLECTION | CELINE