Phoebe Philo (Photo: Shutterstock)
For ten years, Celine was a brand synonymous with sophisticated women and all that they encompass – their wisdom, maturity and their ‘future is female’ vision for the modern women. Phoebe Philo’s decade-long tenure as creative director for Céline has earned her a cult status in the world of fashion with a massive fan base otherwise known as Philophiles. Despite being famously private (usually deterrent in fashion), Philo’s elusiveness – also translated in her designs – was what captivated her audience so well.
Somewhere between removing the accent aigu and Instagram overhaul, Hedi Slimane’s new Celine turns out to be a formula residing very close to his aesthetic at Saint Laurent. Celine Spring 2019 started where Slimane left off with his last show at Saint Laurent. And the radical takeover has since seen the loyalty of philophiles stronger than ever.
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Philo-Era Céline Turned Revenue
According to Business of Fashion, fans of the old Céline are expressing their die-hard allegiance with their wallets, turning heartbreak into profit. The bygone of Philo-Era Céline has now turned into a revenue driving force, especially on luxury resale sites. The RealReal for one, reported a 52% increase in searches in the weekend post-Hedi Slimane’s show. The search numbers rose steadily by 29% in October while the prices, too, have gone up by 7% to 30%.
“We are finding people to be extremely loyal to her” – BOF
The numbers at the RealReal, though already significant, is pale in comparison to websites like Vestiaire Collective and eBay. Vestiaire Collective saw searches begin to increase all the way back in August and only continued rising as Slimane release visual teases of his collection. Following Slimane’s debut, the Celine searches spiked to a whopping 275%, mostly of Philo’s Céline classics. eBay on the other hand, has searches for ‘Phoebe Philo’ peaked by 225% the day after the new Celine debut, with an average of 4,000 searches daily – a 700% increase in comparison to average Celine searches in 2018.
Luxury resale outlets are now taking this as a marketing opportunity with homepage highlights on the Philo-era Céline. Customers are stocking up on collections they can no longer get. Hence, despite Hedi Slimane’s controversial stint at Celine, he is now undeniably the moneymaker of the house. And with that, as well as the maison’s plan to branch out to fragrances, menswear and couture, LVMH hopes to build Celine to a brand with 3 million euros of annual sales.
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