Luxury brand Céline has removed the French accented é from its name; a bold move implemented by the brand’s new image and creative director Hedi Slimane.
The rebrand was revealed to the public via an Instagram post this week in a move that saw the brand delete its entire Instagram history. Pheobe Philo is out. The #CelineByHediSlimane era is officially here.
“The new logo has been directly inspired by the original, historical version that existed in the 1960s,” the fashion label said. So, it’s actually not a new logo at all. It’s an homage to the old logo, which debuted in the ’60s and didn’t contain the French accent mark. What’s old is new again, indeed.
The brand clarified its decision to tweak the font via Instagram saying: “The modernist typography used dates from the 1930s. The accent on the ‘e’ has been removed to enable a simplified and more balanced proportion, evoking the Celine collections of the 1960s where the accent wasn’t used often. The spacing between the letters has been balanced out and the letters have been brought closer together.”
The new logo has been balanced out by bringing each letter closer together (aka kerning). The vintage version of the Celine logo including the word “Paris,” will also be reinstated within the clothing and on the packaging. Going back to their Parisian roots, oui oui.
As far as handbags go, Lady Gaga was seen last week carrying a new Celine top handle bag in sleek black with a simple gold turnlock (somewhat similar to early Slimane YSL designs).
I’m excited to see how Slimane evoles Celine, which was already headed in the right direction after 2010’s release of the Luggage Tote saw an explosion in their sales. Pheobe Philo did incredible things for Celine, and I know Slimane will too. Slimane’s success at YSL was undeniable: after being given total creative control over brand image, sales roughly tripled for Saint Laurent during his four years with the brand. He led to the complete repositioning of the brand, giving it a rock-and-roll, top-to-bottom overhaul. Will Slimane give Celine a similar look?
Slimane said he was “delighted” to join “this all-embracing and fascinating mission for Céline. I greatly look forward to returning to the exciting world of fashion and the dynamism of the ateliers.” After several years at Kering Group’s YSL as Creative Director, he’s back with an LVMH brand again. Slimane was previously Creative Director at Dior Homme from 2000 to 2007.
I wonder now, though, how the resale market will respond to Phoebe Philo’s exit. Will their prices go up because they are Philo designs? In forums, bag collectors are already talking about the discontinuation of some notable Celine handbags. I assume they’ll likely to stop producing current styles once his new collection is launched in early next year. It’s likely that the current bags will be gradually phased out… such is life in fashion though. Better get your hands on a new Luggage Tote now!
Where To Buy Celine Handbags Online
Celine handbags are notoriously hard to buy, especially online. A search for this post revealed that you can’t actually buy any Celine handbags online new anywhere (the Celine site is still down after their rebranding), except on LVMH’s new ecommerce site, 24Sevres. If you’ve got a craving for a Celine bag ASAP, they are available in-store at Celine boutiques, and select Nordstrom/Saks/Barney’s.
OOORRRRRR you can buy pre-owned:
Yoogi’s Closet (reseller)
Fashionphile (reseller)
Are you team Celine with the e? Excited about Hedi’s new direction for Celine? Let me know in the comments!
One reply on “Hedi Slimane Loses Celine’s Accent For New Logo”
[…] Belt bag will stay, but there will be changes like new colors, hardware, and leather finishes; the new Celine logo, sans accent on the é, will be more prominent on bags. Celine will still carry the Box bag but the minimalist style as […]