Phoebe Philo, the British designer who became a cult hero in fashion for her intelligent and grown-up womenswear at the French fashion house of Céline, is to return to the industry with a new label next year.
After a three-year absence, Philo released a statement announcing that her first eponymous brand will sell “clothing and accessories rooted in exceptional quality and design”.
The designer said she was “very much looking forward to being back in touch with my audience and people everywhere”. The luxury giant LVMH is Philo’s financial backer, but holds a minority stake, an arrangement which Philo flagged in her statement, saying that “to be independent, to govern and experiment on my own terms is hugely significant to me”. It is thought the brand will be based in London, where Philo lives with her family.
Sixty years after Christian Dior revolutionised how women dressed with his New Look, Phoebe Philo did the same with the Female Gaze. Her upmarket but understated Céline collections appealed to women who cared about design but did not see themselves as decorative.
She pioneered the casting of older models in her shows and hired Joan Didion to star in an advertising campaign. Like every great fashion designer, she had an uncanny knack of tapping into emotion with her clothes.
Her oversized polo necks, long hemlines, louche silk…
