CELINE WINTER 2024: A VISUAL SYMPHONY BY HEDI SLIMANE

Hedi Slimane, the artistic director of Celine, unveiled his Winter 2024 menswear collection with a spectacular video shot in California’s Mojave Desert. This new opus, titled "Symphonie Fantastique", blends neo-romanticism and sixties influences within a breathtaking cinematic setting.

Moving away from traditional runways, Slimane now prefers to immortalize his collections through stylized short films. Shot between January and February, this fourteen-minute film—worthy of a Cannes Film Festival selection—unfolds with a polished aesthetic and sophisticated camera movements. The soundtrack, Hector Berlioz’s "Symphonie Fantastique", adds a psychedelic dimension to the piece— a work Slimane discovered at the age of 11 and has been passionate about ever since.

The film opens with a Stanley Kubrick-style scene: helicopters bearing the Celine logo drop a branded jukebox onto the desert tarmac, while vintage Cadillacs drive across the landscape. Brayden Liberio, a rodeo champion, embodies the American rebellious spirit, paying tribute to Slimane’s photographic aesthetic.

The models, dressed in tailored black suits, white shirts, skinny ties, lavallières, and Chelsea boots, walk through the desert. Their outfits, inspired by the 1960s, recall icons of the era such as Brian Jones and Mick Jagger. Leather pieces evoke the rock spirit of the Velvet Underground.

The show reaches its peak with dazzling couture pieces: a black and gold two-tone embroidered jacket, and coats adorned with gold and silver embroidery that shimmer in the desert. Nods to Los Angeles and the legendary Troubadour club highlight Slimane’s deep connection to the rock culture of the City of Angels. The video ends on a dramatic note, with the sun setting over the mountains and the jukebox engulfed in flames.

While rumors swirl about Slimane potentially leaving Celine, this show once again leaves his indelible mark on the house. Since his arrival in 2018, Slimane has redefined Celine’s identity, introducing menswear collections, a high-end perfume line, and more recently, cosmetics. Despite speculation, one thing is certain: Hedi Slimane has transformed Celine and left an enduring legacy in fashion history.

Celine’s Winter 2024 menswear collection is far more than a simple fashion presentation. It is a cinematic work, a visual and sonic symphony that celebrates Hedi Slimane’s unique aesthetic and his undeniable influence on the landscape of contemporary fashion.