Hedi Slimane is a French fashion designer and photographer who has led the creative direction of Dior Homme, Saint Laurent and Celine. LVMH announced his departure from Celine on October 2, 2024 and named Michael Rider the same day. We found no announcement of a new role or a brand under his name as of October 22, 2026.
At a glance
- Houses: Yves Saint Laurent (menswear ready-to-wear), Dior Homme, Saint Laurent and Celine.
- Periods: Dior Homme from 2000 to 2007, Saint Laurent from March 2012 to March 2016, Celine from February 2018 to October 2024.
- Leaving Celine: announced by LVMH on October 2, 2024, with no reason given.
- Successor at Celine: Michael Rider, named the same day, first show on July 6, 2025.
- Since then: no new role announced as of October 22, 2026; his archives are posted on Instagram.
- Photography: exhibitions Sonic (Paris, 2014-2015) and Sun of Sound (Shanghai, 2021).
Hedi Slimane in 10 dates
Career by house
The dates of his beginnings vary by source: Euronews, Complex and Wikipedia place his arrival at Yves Saint Laurent in 1996, FashionUnited, The Industry and Encyclopedia.com in 1997.
| House | Role | Period | Landmarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yves Saint Laurent (Rive Gauche Homme) | Menswear ready-to-wear | 1996 or 1997 to 2000 | Moves to Dior Homme in 2000 (Complex). |
| Dior Homme | Creative direction of the menswear line | 2000 to March 2007 | Kris Van Assche announced in late March 2007 (VMSD; FashionUnited). |
| Saint Laurent | Creative and image direction of the house | March 2012 to March 2016 | Succeeds Stefano Pilati. Kering confirms his departure on April 1, 2016 and names Anthony Vaccarello on April 4: FashionUnited; The Industry. |
| Celine | Artistic and image direction | February 2018 to October 2024 | Announced on January 21, 2018. Departure announced on October 2, 2024: LVMH; MarketScreener. |
Dior Homme and Saint Laurent: what the sources say
Dior Homme. Hedi Slimane takes over the creative direction of Dior’s menswear line in 2000, and his very slim silhouette becomes his trademark (Euronews). The CFDA gives him its international designer award in 2002 (Complex). In late March 2007, Dior announces that he is being replaced by Kris Van Assche, who had worked alongside him (VMSD).
Saint Laurent. Appointed in March 2012, he drops “Yves” from the house’s name, which sparks controversy (The Industry). His first collection is shown in Paris in autumn 2012. He leaves the post at the end of March 2016, after four years. Anthony Vaccarello, who succeeded him, is now leaving the house in turn: Kering announced it on October 9, 2026, with no successor named at that date (Reuters via MarketScreener; StyleRave). On the house, see also our article on Saint Laurent’s production company.
Celine, from 2018 to 2024
On January 21, 2018, LVMH announces that Hedi Slimane is becoming artistic and image director of Celine, starting in February. His remit covers women’s and men’s fashion, leather goods, accessories and fragrances (LVMH press release). He succeeds Phoebe Philo (Euronews). His first show, in late September 2018, draws strong reactions from the press and admirers of Phoebe Philo (FashionUnited), and the house loses the accent in its name the same year (Daily Emerald; Wikipedia).
The dates of his other launches (menswear show, fragrances, makeup) are in the table below. Bernard Arnault had set the house a target of 2 to 3 billion euros in revenue within five years. LVMH does not report Celine’s revenue on its own, so the target cannot be checked (FashionNetwork).
Dated collections and projects
| Date | Project | House | Landmarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Early 2000 | “Black Tie”, autumn-winter 2000-2001 | Yves Saint Laurent | Menswear collection that sets his slim silhouette (Complex). |
| 2001 | First Dior Homme fragrance | Dior Homme | Launched under his direction (Complex). |
| Autumn 2012 | First collection, spring-summer 2013 | Saint Laurent | Show in Paris, after the house’s name change (Daily Beast; Complex). |
| Late September 2018 | First collection, spring-summer 2019 | Celine | 96 looks (Nylon). |
| January 20, 2019 | First menswear show, autumn-winter 2019-2020 | Celine | Place de la Concorde, Paris (AFP via Jakarta Post; Gulf News). |
| November 2019 | Haute Parfumerie, 11 fragrances | Celine | The house’s first fragrance collection (Harper’s Bazaar Singapore). |
| March 2024 | Celine Beauté | Celine | The house’s first makeup range, launched with a lipstick (FashionUnited). |
| Late September 2024 | Un Été Français, spring-summer 2025 | Celine | Film shot at the Château de Compiègne, the last collection shown before his departure (FashionNetwork; The Glass Magazine). |
Leaving Celine: what LVMH announced
On October 2, 2024, LVMH announces that Hedi Slimane is leaving his post as artistic and image director of Celine, which he had held since 2018. The statement praises the house’s exceptional growth under his direction and gives neither a reason nor a next step (MarketScreener; FashionNetwork). The same day, LVMH names Michael Rider artistic director, with a start announced for early 2025, for the women’s and men’s collections, leather goods, accessories and couture (MarketScreener).
Michael Rider was a senior designer at Balenciaga from 2004 to 2008, ready-to-wear design director at Celine from 2008 to 2018 under Phoebe Philo, then creative director at Polo Ralph Lauren until May 2024 (Hero; nss magazine). His first show for Celine took place on July 6, 2025 in Paris, at the house’s headquarters, for the spring-summer 2026 collection (Hypebae; FashionUnited). He was still running the house in late June 2026, when Celine showed its spring-summer 2027 menswear collection (FashionUnited). On the rotation of creative directors, see our article on the creative director epidemic.
Since October 2024: what we know
We found no announcement of a new role, a new house or a brand under his name as of October 22, 2026. Carnets du Luxe (July 31, 2025) describes him as without a house since late 2024, and Perfect magazine (August 2026) makes the same observation.
An Instagram account presenting his fashion and photography archives appeared in December 2024 (Dazed). Carnets du Luxe describes, since early 2025, a series of archive images posted every week under the title Anthology. We found no new exhibition or book since he left Celine.
Photography and exhibitions
| Date | Exhibition | Venue | Landmarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Berlin | MoMA PS1, New York | Photographic project born from his residency in Berlin (Wikipedia; Artribune). |
| September 18, 2014 to January 11, 2015 | Sonic | Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, Paris | Black-and-white portraits of musicians, including Lou Reed, Brian Wilson, Amy Winehouse and Keith Richards (FashionUnited). |
| March 19 to April 30, 2021 | Sun of Sound | Almine Rech, Shanghai | First solo exhibition in China, linked to Sonic (Hero; Artribune). |
Launch your own clothing brand
Are you creating a clothing brand? These mockups and this tech pack template help you present and prepare pieces before production. They have no link with Hedi Slimane or the houses named in this article.
- +10 HOODIE/ZIP MOCKUPS : hoodies and zip jackets as PSD and PNG on a transparent background.
- +10 TEE SHIRT MOCKUPS (17 EN TOUT) : 17 T-shirt mockups as PSD and PNG on a transparent background.
- TECH PACK CLOTHING TEMPLATE (BLANK) : a blank tech pack in .ai format (Adobe Illustrator): vectorized design, measurements, materials, assembly instructions, colors and quantities per size.
All HYTRAPE mockups.
Frequently asked questions
Who is Hedi Slimane?
Hedi Slimane is a French fashion designer and photographer. He led the creative direction of Dior Homme (2000-2007), Saint Laurent (2012-2016) and Celine (2018-2024).
When did Hedi Slimane leave Celine?
LVMH announced his departure on October 2, 2024. His last collection, Un Été Français (spring-summer 2025), had been presented as a film in late September 2024.
Why did Hedi Slimane leave Celine?
LVMH gave no reason in its October 2, 2024 announcement and did not say what he would do next.
Who replaced Hedi Slimane at Celine?
Michael Rider, named artistic director by LVMH on October 2, 2024, with a start announced for early 2025. His first show took place on July 6, 2025 in Paris.
What has Hedi Slimane done since leaving Celine?
We found no announcement of a new role or a brand under his name as of October 22, 2026. Images from his fashion and photography archives have been posted on Instagram since December 2024.
Who succeeded Hedi Slimane at Saint Laurent and at Dior Homme?
Anthony Vaccarello was named at Saint Laurent on April 4, 2016. Kris Van Assche took over Dior Homme in 2007.
Read next
- Will the creative director epidemic continue into 2024?
- Saint Laurent becomes the first luxury house to create a production company
- Pharrell Williams as artistic director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line
- Sarah Burton: from McQueen to Givenchy, the rise of a fashion visionary
Sources
- LVMH, communiqué du 21 janvier 2018 : nomination de Hedi Slimane chez Celine
- MarketScreener, communiqué LVMH du 2 octobre 2024 : départ de Hedi Slimane
- MarketScreener, communiqué LVMH du 2 octobre 2024 : Michael Rider, directeur artistique de Celine
- FashionNetwork, départ de Hedi Slimane de Celine (2 octobre 2024)
- Euronews, Hedi Slimane quitte Celine (2 octobre 2024)
- Hero, Michael Rider nouveau directeur de la création de Celine (2 octobre 2024)
- nss magazine, Michael Rider chez Celine (3 octobre 2024)
- Harper’s Bazaar Singapour, Michael Rider remplace Hedi Slimane (3 octobre 2024)
- Hypebae, premier défilé de Michael Rider pour Celine (6 juillet 2025)
- FashionUnited, début de Michael Rider chez Celine (juillet 2025)
- FashionUnited, Celine homme printemps-été 2027 (29 juin 2026)
- FashionNetwork, dernière collection de Hedi Slimane pour Celine (30 septembre 2024)
- The Glass Magazine, Celine « Un Été Français » (30 septembre 2024)
- Nylon, première collection de Hedi Slimane pour Celine (29 septembre 2018)
- FashionUnited, Celine printemps-été 2019 (30 septembre 2018)
- Jakarta Post (AFP), premier défilé masculin de Celine (21 janvier 2019)
- Gulf News, Celine homme automne-hiver 2019-2020 (22 janvier 2019)
- Harper’s Bazaar Singapour, Celine Haute Parfumerie (7 novembre 2019)
- FashionUnited, Celine Beauté (mars 2024)
- Daily Emerald, départ de Hedi Slimane de Celine (20 novembre 2024)
- Complex, parcours de Hedi Slimane (1er avril 2016)
- FashionUnited, bilan de Hedi Slimane chez Saint Laurent (1er avril 2016)
- The Industry, départ de Hedi Slimane de Saint Laurent (1er avril 2016)
- The Industry, Anthony Vaccarello nommé chez Saint Laurent (4 avril 2016)
- Life & Times, Yves Saint Laurent devient Saint Laurent Paris (22 juin 2012)
- The Daily Beast, débuts de Hedi Slimane chez Saint Laurent (1er octobre 2012)
- FashionUnited, Hedi Slimane quitte Dior Homme (mars 2007)
- VMSD, Hedi Slimane remplacé chez Dior Homme (30 mars 2007)
- Buro 24/7, Kris Van Assche chez Dior Homme (19 mars 2018)
- Encyclopedia.com, Slimane, Hedi
- Wikipédia, Hedi Slimane
- Dazed, compte Instagram d’archives de Hedi Slimane (20 décembre 2024)
- Carnets du Luxe, Hedi Slimane Anthology (31 juillet 2025)
- Perfect, « 2026, yeah, my jeans still Hedi » (août 2026)
- FashionUnited, exposition Sonic (Fondation Pierre Bergé-Yves Saint Laurent, 2014)
- Hero, exposition Sun of Sound à Shanghai (11 mars 2021)
- The Impression, exposition Sun of Sound (mars 2021)
- Artribune, exposition Sun of Sound (27 mars 2021)
- MarketScreener (Reuters), départ d’Anthony Vaccarello de Saint Laurent (9 octobre 2026)
- StyleRave, départ d’Anthony Vaccarello de Saint Laurent (9 octobre 2026)
Updated October 22, 2026. No new role for Hedi Slimane was announced at that date; his beginnings at Yves Saint Laurent are dated 1996 or 1997 depending on the source.
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