Quick sip: Hedi Slimane's seven-year itch
Another mic drop moment for Slim
Thinking of quitting your job with your pride still intact? Then take a cue from fashion’s master of notice periods—Hedi Slimane. Consistently leaving brands with such god-like grace, you’d swear Hedi secretly sees himself as the Jesus of fashion—his self-belief borders on delusion; he’s his own biggest fan.
(For the purpose of this article, let’s call him 'Slim'.)
With a reputation for very few misses (and a few well-publicised beefs with the press), Slim ushered in what is widely regarded as the greatest era in modern menswear at Dior Homme, redefined Yves Saint Laurent, and left his mark at Celine before making his exit earlier this month.
Celine is now under the creative direction of Michael Rider, who honed his skills under Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga and Phoebe Philo at Céline, before 'revitalising' Polo Ralph Lauren. One thing about those musical chairs—they're spiralling faster than a TikTok challenge. Or a conspiracy theory. Thank you, Beyoncé. Blinks twice.
CÉLINE CELINE
Celine FW24 was not Hedi’s final collection, although we suspect he knew his time was up. The drama of the 'f*ck you, I’m fab' fur coat felt like a nod to his $15,000 heart-shaped jacket from his final Saint Laurent collection. Rihanna was the first to wear the piece fresh off the runway, which, Vogue declared, went on to become one of her "most photographed ensembles of all time."
Side note: bring back swaggy Rihanna! That crown is big enough for both her and Rocky, please.
However, it was his final collection for Celine (SS25) that confirmed he truly is that girl—or maybe it was just a subtle plea for the Chanel vacancy? In an unexpected turn of events, Cathy Horyn, his number one enemy, gave him his flowers in a review last week:
Executives in the industry have long maintained that Slimane wants too much control, especially of a brand’s overall image. I say: Give it to him. It’s way better than the muddle we tend to get elsewhere.
Cathy, baby, we stan a feather ruffler!
Anyways, back to Slim: finding photos of Celine’s Spring/Summer '25 collection online was quite the challenge; Vogue Runway's last feature on the brand covered the Spring 2023 menswear line. Hedi’s spat with Anna Wintour shows no signs of waning. Divas.
Now that Slim has no throne to rule from, we can’t help but wonder: where to next if not Chanel? Fashion People have been discoursing, but one thing is certain—he’s going somewhere, and soon. Couturier’s will be clutching their pearls.
New to ATTT? This earlier post will bring you up to speed:
Meanwhile, the diva of Rome, Alessandro Michele, has been breaking ground at Valentino, and we have to admit, we’re kinda into it. His underground magic is casting an intriguing spell over the house. At first glance, it may seem Guccified, but upon closer inspection, it’s unmistakably Michele, as he utilises Valentino ateliers to bring his weirdly eccentric aesthetic to life. It’s dark and unconventional (just watch the latest campaign vid), but so alluring that you can’t help but think, “Whatever this world is, I want to be part of it.” Also—pugs!