The French house Celine named Mr. Slimane's replacement, announced earlier on Wednesday after seven years: Michael Rider. Rider graduated from Brown University in Rhode Island in 2002 and began his career with Nicolas Ghesquière at Balenciaga, where he worked as a senior designer from 2004 to 2008. After this experience the American designer was employed as design director at the brand, working under Phoebe Philo. Most recently, he was the creative director at Polo Ralph Lauren since 2018. He left Ralph Lauren at the end of May. The designer will be starting his new role in early 2025. He will have the entire creative responsibility of all Celine collections, including womenswear, menswear, leather goods and accessories to couture, the statement reads.

“I am delighted to welcome Michael back to Celine, a maison that he knows intimately. Michael’s vision, creative talent, together with his genuine nature and strong connection to Celine’s heritage make him a natural choice to continue to build a long-lasting success for the maison,” said Severine Merle, ceo of Celine.

“Celine is a maison with values very close to my heart and a heritage to build on. I am honored to come back and shape the future of the maison together with the Celine team,” commented Rider.