Celine is one of the brands that has built its image as we understand it today more on modern history than on historical history. With names such as Phoebe Philo and Hedi Slimane succeeding each other as creative directors, profoundly different from each other but united by a certain intellectuality, Celine has not only become a trendy brand, but also a real imagery of women and men with a precise profile. These are the most important heritages to preserve. When Michael Rider was appointed creative director, the main concern was precisely the possible loss of that heritage, even before the fashion house’s stylistic codes, accomplices also being the designer’s longstanding behind-the-scenes role, still little known to the general public. Yet already from his first fashion show Rider passed the test by paying homage to his predecessors without feeling crushed by their weight.
Celine by Michael Rider’s Winter 2026 collection comes as a breath of fresh air, capable of making people smile in some outings and evoking memories etched in collective memory in others. In his proposal, Rider fuses Celine’s historic codes with a new contemporary sensibility, creating a complete, wearable wardrobe for the Celine woman and man: tailored but playful, refined but modern, elegant but with unexpected flashes that break predictability.
Great protagonists of the collection are outerwear, for menswear and womenswear, for day and evening: rigorous and minimal but never cold, or slightly more playful and dynamic. Wrapping wool coats, leather or leopard trench coats, in classic black, white and camel, but also in bolder shades, wrap the body without hiding the natural charm of the wearer. Protagonists are also the accessories such as the iconic Celine bags and scarves, which become real unprecedented sculptural elements.
In the collection we find the skinny silhouettes and iconic ankle boots typical of Hedi Slimane’s codes, Phoebe Philo’s rigorous and conceptual minimalism and Michael Rider’s unprecedented lightness, visible in the prints, checked pants, bold jewelry and unexpected colors that create a coherent and original thread. Despite the fact that this is a Fall/Winter collection, many dresses have flowing and fluttering fabrics, as well as dresses covered in sequins of all sizes, which give lightness while remaining structured; leather takes center stage, declined in dresses that combine rigor and sensuality; while black plays the main role, to which flashes of color are added from time to time, such as red, another major protagonist. The result is a desirable, wearable and timeless collection that looks to the future without forgetting the past, capable of speaking as much to fashion enthusiasts as to those who want to discover something new.
[📸 Instagram: celine / VICTOR BRUN]
