- 1973 (MCMLXXIII)
- Living
- British
- Chloé, Céline, Phoebe Philo
- •Céline’s "quiet luxury" (2008–2017)
- •The structural tote
- •Old Céline cult
- •Phoebe Philo label (Oct 2023)
Phoebe Philo
The Parisian-born London designer whose 2008–2017 Céline is cited by a generation as the wardrobe that defined a decade — and whose 2023 self-titled debut was the most-anticipated launch in recent memory.
Phoebe Philo was born in Paris in 1973 to English parents and raised in London. She studied at Central Saint Martins, graduated in 1996, and assisted Stella McCartney at Chloé. When McCartney departed in 2001, Philo was named creative director. She was twenty-eight.
Chloé and the Departure
Philo’s Chloé — bohemian, sun-drenched, with high-waisted trousers and the Paddington and Silverado bags — was the defining young-luxury wardrobe of the mid-2000s. She resigned in January 2006 citing family.
Céline
In September 2008 LVMH named her creative director of Céline, on condition her studio relocate to London. The nine years that followed constitute the most influential single designer-tenure of the 2010s. Her aesthetic — minimalist, coat-heavy, with sculptural totes, oversized white button-downs, and a palette of taupe, camel, and monastic black — produced a following intense enough that by 2014 the hashtag #OldCéline had outgrown the brand’s current output.
I try to design clothes for women who have lives. — Phoebe Philo
The Exit and the Wait
She left in December 2017; Hedi Slimane replaced her and renamed the house Celine without the accent. Old Céline resale prices doubled within eighteen months. In October 2023 Philo launched her eponymous label as an online drop of 150 SKUs priced between GBP 1,500 and GBP 26,000. The site crashed within the hour; most SKUs sold within a week.
