The Brands Céline Fans Can Look To Post-Phoebe Philo

In December, Phoebe Philo announced her departure from French brand Céline after a decade at the helm. The designer released a statement, seen by WWD, that read: "Working with Céline has been an exceptional experience for me these last 10 years. I am grateful to have worked with an incredibly talented and committed team and I would like to thank everyone along the way who has been part of the collaborations and conversations… it’s been amazing."

Rumours flew around an industry in flux that she would be taking Christopher Bailey’s place at Burberry, but these were quashed with last week’s appointment of Givenchy’s former designer, Riccardo Tisci. There’s been no indication from Philo or her team that she’ll be working for a competitor brand, which leads both fans and industry voices to wonder what’s next for the British designer and her inimitable vision.

The fashion industry is constantly evolving – change is intrinsic to its nature – but something in the air right now feels more fraught than ever before. Designers are playing musical chairs and generating instability; over the last few years, alongside Bailey and Philo’s departures, Alber Elbaz left Lanvin, Raf Simons stepped down from his position at Dior and moved to Calvin Klein, Jonathan Saunders resigned from Diane von Furstenberg, Alexander Wang left Balenciaga, which then appointed Demna Gvasalia, and Dior hired Maria Grazia Chiuri, the brand’s first female creative director in its 70-year history. What feels most unsettling is that unexpected creatives are taking charge of heritage fashion houses with a seemingly conflicting aesthetic to their own.

Heading up Céline now is Hedi Slimane, the French Tunisian designer who previously took the helm at Yves Saint Laurent, got rid of the ‘Yves’ and transformed it into a hard-edged, sexed-up, suited-and-booted brand (think campaigns featuring Courtney Love and Marilyn Manson). Creating a role for himself as Céline’s first ever artistic, creative and image director, we wait with bated breath to see what he’ll do with the legacy that Philo has left behind.

While there has been inevitable chatter around all the recent designer moves, the loudest cries have been from longstanding lovers of the Céline Phoebe Philo created. To understand why so many people feel mournful about the future of Céline, we must first understand what Philo brought to the previously staid brand, and what exactly that meant for women around the world.

“For me, Céline was the only brand that ever truly created wearable and timeless fashion for an empowered and dynamic woman,” founder of Avenue 32 and street styler Roberta Benteler tells Refinery29. “Clothes that are wearable in an everyday context, that don’t go out of fashion and that don’t over-sexualise women.” In contrast to the sex appeal of women like Kim Kardashian and 'more is more' designers like Olivier Rousteing at Balmain, Philo’s sleek designs championed a quieter kind of power. It should be clearly noted here that neither approach is the ‘correct’ way to be a woman. It’s simply that with Philo, there was no embellishment, just a simple bias cut or colour combination that marked the confidence of both the designer and the women wearing her pieces.

From fantastic tailoring that made slouchy two-pieces over a plain white T-shirt the contemporary power suit to her unmistakable colour palette (the camels and ivories, but also that brilliant poppy red that she often returned to), Philo’s aesthetic was instantly recognisable without having to shout. “Clean, without fuss and the cut was always impeccable,” editor of MINT, Irina Lakicevic, said of the brand. “The garments have always had a certain appeal; one could easily spot Céline from miles away, even when mixed with other brands. It really had its own aura.”

Alongside reinventing classic pieces like trench coats and loose trousers with clever details and sleight of hand, one of the reasons Philo’s Céline seemed timeless is because she evaded trends – harder to nail than you’d imagine in a post-post-modern world ruled by references. While avoiding the creation of collections that would easily date, she brought to a new audience a pared-back simplicity that went on to shape the way we dress. This has only subsided recently thanks to Gucci’s Alessandro Michele. At the heart of ‘normcore’ or 'minimalist' dressing is of course simplicity but also functionality. “Phoebe was one of the first designers to openly say that that was okay in fashion,” Amira Arasteh, advertising assistant at Wired and GQ, explains. “I think that was a strong message to send out to women and girls.”

Work trousers that could be transformed by night with a sharp blazer or abstract printed blouse, or footwear that was actually comfortable while still retaining some direction – that’s how Philo made wearability and thus functionality cool. We may be used to the ‘dad’ trainer by now, but remember that not so long ago, wearing flat – let alone commute-appropriate – shoes wasn’t deemed stylish at all. “Trainers were once reserved for teenagers and perhaps cultural rebels, but they were appropriated by Phoebe and then gained acceptance among an older audience,” Lakicevic says. “And not only that, but even if women didn't buy exactly those Céline sneakers, the momentum the trainer trend gained was so strong that women across the globe started demanding the right to wear comfortable shoes. It was feminist revolution disguised as a white trainer.”

Evidently, Philo left her mark on Céline, a brand that before her was quiet and unadventurous. The question now is whether Hedi Slimane can capture the hearts of fans as much as his predecessor could. “I was shocked when I first heard the news, as what he did for Saint Laurent is in many ways the complete opposite to what Céline stands for,” Benteler says. “Having said that, Hedi‘s aesthetic at Dior Homme [2001-2007] was not dissimilar to Phoebe’s, and he has made a name for himself as a ‘fashion chameleon’ who will totally reinvent any brand. Let’s see what he comes up with. It won’t be Céline as we know it, that’s for certain.”

Aesthetics aside, the industry can't ignore the profits Slimane made at [Y]SL. Despite completely changing the vision – and in some people's eyes, modernising – Saint Laurent, the brand went on to outperform season after season, according to French luxury group Kering. While the direction of the brand may not be to every Philo fan's taste, it has a very real potential for booming financial success.

If, when Slimane’s first collection for the brand is sent down the runway at Paris Fashion Week in September, Philo's diehard following is disappointed, there is solace to be found elsewhere. To some extent, Chloé, where Philo was creative director before joining Céline, retains her aesthetic, even as Natacha Ramsay-Levi, formerly at Louis Vuitton, leaves her mark. “It’s one of the other brands I look to,” Arasteh says. “It obviously has a different artistic direction but similarities exist due to the feminine style of the brand.” Jacquemus is filling the void for Benteler, who references designer and founder Simon Porte’s similar eye. Launched in 2009, it has taken on a softer aesthetic over the past few seasons, and its AW18 collection is the one to shop if you’re pining for Philo’s earth-toned pieces. For a female designer that centres women as much as Philo did, Lakicevic is looking to Rejina Pyo: “She shows the same sensibility as Phoebe – there is an emotion in her design.” The London-based Korean designer, whose collections are inspired by art and architecture, may sate the appetites of those missing Céline’s near-perfect dresses, ‘it’ bag in-the-making accessories, and borderline-librarian ensembles.

All eyes, though, are on Loewe, which, under Jonathan Anderson's direction, is proving to be the sophisticated highlight of the Paris Fashion Week schedule. With sleek cuts and smart fabrics, his critically-acclaimed AW18 collection paired heavy tweeds with workwear-appropriate dresses, with an added dash of that functionality with walking boots and backpacks. Plus, Anderson has already proved at his own label J.W. Anderson his ability to make bags that everyone covets and the highstreet swiftly imitates, much as Philo did with her Luggage tote and Trapeze bag, which appealed to the likes of Kim Kardashian West, as well as the street style set.

Above all, what Philo’s following will miss is the way she made them feel – whether it was in a sumptuous silk two-piece or a knitted dress. As Lakicevic highlights: “She showed women that beauty doesn't necessarily lie in looking gilded and ornate.” While we’re intrigued to see what Hedi Slimane brings to the brand, we’re not holding out for the same feeling from his pieces. So here’s to a new generation of female-focused brands, and to whatever Philo turns her hand to next.