PARIS — Céline designer Hedi Slimane on Sunday offered followers clues about the world he is fashioning for the French label on Instagram, revealing a new logo, and some explanations as well.
“The new logo has been directly inspired from the original, historical version that existed in the 1960s,” reads the first line of description, all in capital letters, as is the logo. The designer opted for a “modernist typography” that dates from the Thirties and removed the accent on the first “e” for a “more balanced proportion” evoking the label’s collection in the Sixties, the description continued.
“The new logo has been directly inspired from the original, historical version that existed in the 1960s,” reads the first line of description, all in capital letters, as is the logo.
One of the most prominent and influential fashion figures, Slimane joined the LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton-owned label in February with the mandate of broadening its scope to add men’s, couture and fragrance lines. His collection makes its debut on Sept. 28 in Paris.
Known for reigniting Kering’s house of Yves Saint Laurent between 2012 and 2016, which he renamed Saint Laurent, Slimane had cemented his reputation at Dior Homme, where his design tenure lasted for seven years, starting in 2000.
The new Céline logo in black lettering appears in the Instagram post under an image that scrolls across a folded, shimmery curtain of gold fabric. The brand’s web site also features the image, with the logo tucked below, to the left.
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THE NEW LOGO HAS BEEN DIRECTLY INSPIRED BY THE ORIGINAL, HISTORICAL, VERSION THAT EXISTED IN THE 1960’S.⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ THE MODERNIST TYPOGRAPHY USED DATES FROM THE 1930’S. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ THE ACCENT ON THE “E” HAS BEEN REMOVED TO ENABLE A SIMPLIFIED AND MORE BALANCED PROPORTION, EVOKING THE CELINE COLLECTIONS OF THE 1960’S 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 1960’S VERSION OF THE LOGO INCLUDING THE WORD “PARIS”, WILL BE REINSTATED WITHIN THE CLOTHING AND ON PACKAGING, HOWEVER “PARIS" WILL NOT APPEAR BENEATH THE LOGO ON CAMPAIGNS. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ #CELINEBYHEDISLIMANE
A post shared by CELINE (@celine) on Sep 2, 2018 at 1:16pm PDT
“The spacing between the letters has been balanced out and the letters have been brought closer together,” notes the description in Instagram.
All previous postings from the brand were deleted, reflecting the brand reboot, but also generating some messages of disappointment.
Phoebe Philo, who left the label last December after a decade, had generated a strong following with her chic, high-end designs for women.
Last week, social media buzzed with images of Lady Gaga posing in front of the Mona Lisa painting at the Louvre with a handbag reported to be part of Slimane’s new collection.
Lady Gaga was spotted last week in Paris carrying a handbag designed by Hedi Slimane for Céline.
Philippe Blet/REX/Shutterstock
The house declined to comment.
Céline’s Instagram post also indicated that while the word “Paris” no longer appears under the logo for advertising campaigns, it will be reinstated on clothing and packaging.