House Histories: The Celine timeline

A symbol of modern minimalism and sophistication, the Celine brand is renowned for its understanding of what women really want to wear. However, while defined for many modern fans by the work of former creative director Phoebe Philo, Celine actually has a long and storied history dating back to the 1940s. Here’s everything you need to know…

​1945

Celine is founded by Céline and Richard Vapiana as a made-to-measure children’s shoe store at 52 Rue Malte in Paris. Its first logo is a distinctive red elephant created by cartoonist Raymond Peynet.

1948

Early success sees the Celine chain expand to three more stores.

1960

The brand repositions itself with its first ready-to-wear offering for women. The clothes take a sportswear approach and prioritise function as well as style.

1963

Celine introduces its first women’s shoe line.

1964

Vent Fou, the brand’s first fragrance, is launched featuring notes of jasmine, galbanum and rose.

1966

The Celine range expands to an array of leather accessories, including bags, gloves and belts, made in Florence to ensure quality.

1973

A Celine ad campaign from the 1970s

The elephant logo is replaced with a new design, known as the Blazon Chaine, featuring intertwining Cs inspired by the Arc de Triomphe. The logo is used to create the Celine’s first signature ‘C’ Sulky canvas.

1987

Bernard Arnault buys Celine’s capital and becomes the owner of all 89 of its stores worldwide.

Gisele in Celine SS 2000 ad campaign

1996

Celine officially becomes part of LVMH in a deal worth 2.7 billion francs ($540 million) and work begins on accelerating its ready-to-wear and accessories collections. Céline Vapiana remains as creative director.

1997

Céline Vapiana dies aged 84 and is immediately succeeded at the brand by Michael Kors. This puts Celine in direct competition with Louis Vuitton and Loewe, both of whom had also received new American creative directors (Marc Jacobs and Narciso Rodriquez respectively) at the same time.

Kors’ signature sportswear aesthetic brought to Celine a new accessibility focus on the jet set with collections featuring figure skimming dresses, cashmere sets, swimwear and colourful tailoring. Kors also introduced Celine’s ‘It’ Boogie and Poulbot styles, reinvigorating interest in the brand.

2004

Amid declining sales, and discontent with the way LVMH treated its smaller labels, Kors exits Celine to focus on his eponymous label. Roberto Menichetti, previously of Burberry, takes over at the helm but lasts only a year.

2006

Ivana Omazic, who has held positions at Prada, Jil Sander and Miu Miu, is appointed as creative director but fails to deliver the results LVMH expects.

2008

Omazic is replaced by Phoebe Philo who proves to be the perfect person to bring this, now somewhat obscure, brand back to fashion’s forefront. Joining from Chloe, Philo showed her first collection for SS10, presenting an elegant, minimalist and precise take on Vapiana’s original aesthetic. Its strong, clean lines speak to contemporary consumers and the brand’s fortunes immediately turn round.

2010

Philo receives the Designer of the Year Award at the British Fashion Awards.

2011

Philo receives the CFDA’s International Designer of the Year Award.

2015

Celine relocates its headquarters to 16 Rue Vivienne in Paris’ 2nd arrondissement.

2017

Séverine Merle is appointed CEO.

2018

After a hugely successful decade at Celine, Philo steps down and is replaced by Hedi Slimane. Fresh from his controversial rebrand of Saint Laurent, Slimane stamps his trademark penchant for super skinny edgy styles on Celine - a move not well received by those who loved the brand under Philo. The debut of Slimane’s first collection sends prices for #oldceline sky rocketing and reviews are roundly disappointing. However, Slimane, with his background in menswear, has managed to expand Celine’s share of the men’s market and critics and consumers alike do seem to have warmed to Slimane’s Celine in the seasons since.

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