All eyes are on Celine after Michael Rider's debut, meaning it's the perfect time for a brief history lesson on the storied house and its founder.&nbsp;

Everyone in the fashion world can't seem to stop talking about one brand this week...and that brand is Celine.&nbsp; <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/celine-michael-rider-debut-paris-haute-couture-week" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Rider's</a> debut <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/celine-spring-summer-2026-runway-images-michael-rider-debut" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Spring 2026</a> collection paved an exciting path for the brand's future as he begins his tenure as the creative director at Celine. But before we look forward, now is the time to look back at the woman who started it all, Celine's founder, C&eacute;line Vipiana.
Before iconic Celine fashion designers like <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion-week/michael-kors-fall-winter-2025-review" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Michael Kors</a>, <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/maya-wigram-phoebe-philo-daughter-runway-model" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Phoebe Philo</a>, and <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/hedi-slimane-leaves-celine-creative-director" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Hedi Slimane</a> walked through the doors, the eponymous fashion house was born from surprising roots. In 1945, Vipiana and her husband started Celine as a luxury children's shoewear brand in the 2nd arrondissement of Paris. The made-to-measure shoes were unique and stood out for their quality and recognizable logo of a red elephant. However, that chapter for the brand did not last long, as the couple expanded the company to include leather loafers and bags in the 1950s and ready-to-wear clothing in the 1960s.

Michael Kors Becomes the First Women's Ready-To-Wear Designer at Celine

By 1967, Celine introduced the horse and carriage logo that remained with the brand until 1990. Celine boutiques started popping up all over the world by the 1970s, with Vipiana herself serving as the head designer until her death in 1988. The year before she died, Bernard Arnault purchased a portion of the brand, but by 1996 Celine was fully acquired by <a href="https://www.lofficielusa.com/fashion/lvmh-prize-karl-lagerfeld-2019" target="_blank" rel="noopener">LVMH</a>. This acquisition helped launch the brand that C&eacute;line Vipiana founded to new heights, making it the powerhouse we know and love.
In 1997, a familiar name was introduced to the brand: Michael Kors. After the shutters closed on his own line in 1993, he joined Celine as their first women's ready-to-wear designer. At the same time, he was working on rebuilding his empire, which remains strong today. While his tenure at Celine was relatively short, his work was monumental in bringing the historic family brand to the fashion zeitgeist. He left Celine in 2003 to focus on his brand, but his time at the fashion house set the tone for the boundaries that later designers like Phoebe Philo and Hedi Slimane could push.&nbsp;

Michael Kors at the CFDA Fashion Awards in 2019. Getty Images.

Phoebe Philo Serves as Celine's Creative Director for a Decade

Following Kors' departure, the fashion house was headed by designers like Roberto Menichetti and Ivana Omazic, but it wasn't until 2008 that the brand found itself at the center of attention. LVMH hired Phoebe Philo, known for her work at Chlo&eacute;, to take the brand and make it something her own. She practically invented modern minimalism, and by 2010, she was named Designer of the Year by the British Fashion Council and International Designer of the Year by the Council of Fashion Designers of America the following year. She also produced some of the most memorable ad campaigns of the 2010s. Remember the shot of Joan Didion in Celine sunglasses? That was Philo. But after a decade, she departed Celine and announced her eponymous brand in 2021.

Celine Fall/Winter 2013 show in Paris. Getty Images.

Hedi Slimane Introduces Menswear to Celine

After Philo left Celine, it was announced by LVMH that Hedi Slimane would take over as the creative, image, and artistic director of the brand. Slimane, already a well-known name in menswear for his role at Yves Saint Laurent, Jill Sander, and Dior Homme, introduced menswear to Celine. He famously changed the title of the brand from C&eacute;line to Celine and brought the design studio to Los Angeles. Slimane is famously known for his love of edginess and youth culture, which took Celine down a different route than Philo's version of the brand. While Celine was under the creative direction of Slimane, the brand was known for its mix of 1970s flair mixed with a touch of punk. But that chapter for Celine closed this past fall as Slimane exited the brand, making way for Michael Rider.&nbsp;

Celine Men's Fall/Winter 2023/24 show. Getty Images.

Since 1945, Celine has cycled through different hands, becoming a chameleon of sorts. Yet what remains the same is the fashion house's reputation for effortless trendsetting. And Michael Rider's debut collection proved just that. While the future remains unknown, Celine has an unforgettable track record and history that we know Rider will continue to uphold.

Who was Céline Vipiana? A Brief History of the House of Celine

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