by DThe floors are made of natural Italian Basaltina stone slabs, the showcases on the walls are a mix of glass and steel, with rest areas in the middle with heavy wooden tables, side tables with books and vintage armchairs made of white leather. A spiral staircase of white arabescato marble surrounded by vertical mirrors and neon lighting leads to the first floor, where ready-to-wear clothes and shoes are available.
The 300 square meter store features the brand’s entire portfolio. In addition to women’s ready-to-wear, they include: shoes, bags, perfumes, accessories and interiors. For the first time, the Celine world is now spread over three floors instead of two. From now on, the menswear that was launched by Slimane when he joined Celine in 2019 is now available exclusively at the Munich store. To this end, the basement with its historic brick vault, which previously served as a warehouse, was completely rebuilt. Also here, as on the other two floors, there are always islands of tranquility with vintage pieces and furniture designed by the designer.
The concept was created in accordance with Hedi Slimane’s wishes.
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Image: Celine/PR
Hedi Slimane’s goal is to combine brutalist influences with natural materials and thus create an attractive contrast, according to a company spokesperson. There are paintings by contemporary painters spread across every floor, which are displayed in various Celine stores around the world and now also in Munich as part of the Celine Art Project.
The combination of fashion, art and furniture plays an important role in Hedi Slimane’s retail concept because, in addition to his passion for music, the Frenchman is also known for his interest in architecture, art and interiors.
Renew the brand’s visual identity
The store’s design reflects its preference for clean lines and minimalist aesthetics. The redesign of Celine stores is the final step to completely renew the brand’s visual identity, from the logo to the name, which it devalued in one of its first actions.
The 55-year-old Frenchman with Italian-Tunisian roots leaves nothing to chance. He even personally decides which songs can be played in stores. Hedi Slimane is considered uncompromising and confrontational, and someone who had little taste for the subtle, intellectual style of his predecessor, Phoebe Philo. But with his simple and sometimes radical style, he has already rejuvenated the Saint Laurent and Dior brands and particularly impressed the millennial generation. He is considered the inventor of Size Zero, for whose fine Dior suits Karl Lagerfeld starved himself to lose 40 kilos.
Eye-catching contrasts: Brutalism influences were combined with natural materials in the store.
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Image: Celine/PR
Celine belongs to the world’s largest luxury group LVMH, which, according to industry magazine TextilWirtschaft, achieved sales of almost 79 billion euros in 2022. According to LVMH president Bernard Arnault, Celine rose to more than two billion euros euros.
