The official CELINE thread

[rivegauche]

This is interesting/depressing to hear. I wonder if anyone else has communicated with SA's on this subject?

I recently talked to SAs at the Paris boutiques and asked about the recent collections and they all pretty much confirmed that quantities were really low. One SA that apparently has been with Hedi since the Dior days even mentioned specifically that pieces from the newer collections were selling out but that they usually just had a handful (often times only 2-3 per style apparently) in store. He mentioned that back at Dior and Saint Laurent everything sold out just as fast but at drastically higher quantities. He wasn’t sure if availability was subject to the pandemic or if it showed a change in distribution (e.g. better availability in certain markets) or overall production.

 

[pearls_before_swine]

it was more interesting to me to see Bottega go down... I thought it was one of the “it” brands at the moment

 

[RedVelvetWounds]

Depressing because they aren't expecting people to buy it and so the few items that people do want might end up sold out. But in the above image from the troll account there are indicators that the demand is there. So even more unsure why they don't manufacture enough or have expectations people aren't interested in the men's ready to wear. (Unless even the Celine team knows that Hedi's pieces have become wilder and so they just underproduce everything to be safe.) I have noticed recently at the NY locations that there have been lines of woman who are interested in the handbags and have seen the bags in the wild (I guess Hedi getting kpop stars as brand ambassadors paid off), but there aren't that many people looking at the men's ready to wear. So maybe the above graph is only indicating brand awareness.

But this guy is really showing off that kpop stars can cause an interest in the menswear too.






Probably from Kenzo's recent death in combination with hypebeast designer Nigo taking the reign causing an influx in people searching for the brand.

Cringed so hard from this picture I had to bleach my eyes before coming back here.

 

[GG Allin]

turns out all the online circle jerking doesn't reflect reality outside the internet, money talks and numbers don't lie

For sure. But if Celine is really selling like hotcakes (in newer markets) why not just produce a **** ton of it? I get that the pandemic has probably affected production, but brands like SLP (and smaller, shittier ones like Amiri) seem to be all over the place.

Or, maybe they are producing a ton and it's all going to Asia. That's a distinct possibility I guess.

I was thinking earlier, that we used to have a few posters in this thread from Asian countries, who were like posting fits of the pre-deluge Celine (e.g the flares and stuff). I wonder if they just checked out, since they were probably just Slimane heads like us who just happened to live over there.

 

[SirGrotius]

What does brand value encompass? Brand recognition + goodwill/loyalty + revenues or income etc?

 

[Nyarlathotep]

Cringed so hard from this picture I had to bleach my eyes before coming back here.

There's just something incredibly sad about that picture in a "I have no friends" way.

 

[RedVelvetWounds]

There's just something incredibly sad about that picture in a "I have no friends" way.

The edgy pose, the covered eyes, the bags and boxes placed in such a way the logo on all of them is visible to the camera. The video he uploaded before this picture is just him sitting in that same pose in different outfits. All of the comments are just thanking him for supporting Lisa.

A part of me wants to feel a bit bad for him.

 

[Simon Dykes]

For sure. But if Celine is really selling like hotcakes (in newer markets) why not just produce a **** ton of it? I get that the pandemic has probably affected production, but brands like SLP (and smaller, shittier ones like Amiri) seem to be all over the place.

Like shoegaze said, it's probably mostly driven by the women's bags & accessories, which surely must be a much larger market than menswear anyway.

 

[SirGrotius]

Speaking of menswear and tailoring, has anyone had experience with online tailoring? I have a couple pairs of Celine denim that I need shortened, just a couple inches, but want to keep the original hem. The tailors in my area are really dry cleaners, so wouldn't quite get the request.

 

[SirGrotius]

I quite like the Instagram campaign. The improved framing and focus sells me on the aesthetic a lot more.

My earlier comment re: the paucity of merchandise (menswear) on the website is nothing new, and not portending some imminent transfer to another house. It's been like that since day one, and maybe as others have noted, reflects the focus on womenswear, bags, and other accessories. If anything, I'd be favorably disposed toward Hedi leaving Celine. I'm superficial enough that the name Celine doesn't kill it for me! ha.

Here's a quick list of some houses/options and my insipid thoughts on each:

• Return to Dior - impossible re: Kim Jones's success, but perhaps the KJ future, bright, big cartoon thing is a bit played out. I like the finer quality of Dior so would prefer HS at this house
• Chanel Menswear - bold, creative, dark. Would love it, too. Riffing off of a new platform would be auspicious, however, I'd imagine the brand doesn't want to rock its boat of endless success
• Hedi Slimane - always an option, although I always have had the feeling that Hedi is so enmeshed in the art, the photography, the design, that the whole logistics/organizational process may be too much or perhaps a bore
• YSL - too weird, too done.
• Lanvin - too low.
• Karl Lagerfeld - too derivative, even odder
• Bored of this list now

 

[pearls_before_swine]

I don’t “get” Kim Jones’s Dior but it seems he’s killing it...

anyway tbh I’m not sure where Hedi would fit after Celine

I think his own thing would be it but I agree with you that probably too much hassle for him to do it... but who knows, someone did convince Phoebe after all (which btw I think is going to be a HUGE success)

 

[kieran84]

I think his own label, or Chanel are the only directions I would like to see him go in at this point. His philosophy at Saint Laurent was as good as it gets for me but to go back would feel like a step backwards.

Regarding the Celine label I see lots of Celine around in UK grime and hip hop, as well as in US hip hop, but I do think the name Celine was holding it back for a lot of men in the west because to most people it's not a desirable menswear brand due to the lack of recognition. A lot of people would rather wear Balenciaga sock trainers etc that are easily recognisable.

 

[Bryan55]

I don’t “get” Kim Jones’s Dior but it seems he’s killing it...

anyway tbh I’m not sure where Hedi would fit after Celine

I think his own thing would be it but I agree with you that probably too much hassle for him to do it... but who knows, someone did convince Phoebe after all (which btw I think is going to be a HUGE success)

I agree. I myself don’t get the Kim Jones Dior at all but I do have to fully admit that I am not the target audience.

As posted by Sir and Kieran, I’d love to see Hedi at Chanel if only to see what he does and would it be a return to his typical designs which most of us here would probably love. However, as also noted due to Chanel’s constant successes season after season if it ain’t broke…

 

[pearls_before_swine]

I had no idea there is a Chanel mens line btw

or is it just a few looks per season?

 

[SirGrotius]

Oh yes, you're right, there is no mens line, hence, the blank canvas idea. That said, I believe they do a few one-off pieces for male clients.