There's a new development in the curious case of CELINE, Hedi Slimane, and his potential successor.
Since April, rumors have swirled that Slimane is poised to leave his post as creative director of CELINE amid "thorny contract negotiations," according to Business of Fashion. According to reports, Michael Rider — currently creative director of Polo Ralph Lauren women’s — is Slimane's likely replacement.
CELINE has not commented on speculation thus far, but a new turn of events seems to support theories that Rider is gearing up to replace Slimane: On Tuesday, Ralph Lauren announced that Rider will leave his post at the brand at the end of May.
“Michael Rider has made the decision to leave Ralph Lauren," a statement issued to Vogue reads. "We are fortunate to have a deep bench of exceptional creative talent throughout our company who have worked closely with Ralph for many years."
Rider's rumored move to CELINE would be a reunion — before joining Ralph Lauren in 2018, he served as CELINE's ready-to-wear design director under Phoebe Philo (Ms. #OldCÉLINE herself!). Rider, a graduate of Brown University, also worked as a senior designer at Balenciaga from 2004 to 2008.
As for Slimane, it's not entirely clear where he'd head if Rider were to step in. When Slimane left Saint Laurent in 2016, insiders speculated he would join Chanel — that never materialized, but his name is still linked to the inimitable French maison.
If Rider does indeed rejoin CELINE, he'll be tasked with balancing Slimane's next-gen interpretation of the house with consumer nostalgia for Philo's days — no small feat!
