Hedi Slimane turns his singular creative eye to Celine's new Australian boutique
Famously detail-oriented, Hedi Slimane has unveiled one of his first new-look Celine stores since taking over the house as creative director. Located on Melbourne’s Collins Street, the store hosted a preview last week ahead of a cocktail celebration in the evening. Any readers familiar with his oeuvre will know that the French creative and photographer has an all-encompassing vision, where no stone is left unturned.
In this case the stone is concrete, and the mood is brutalist, taking his cues from the rectilinear stripped back forms of the architectural movement of the same name. Characterised by raw textural surfaces, bold geometry and rigidity, Slimane has reworked it into a canny contemporary version. Read: uncompromising and streamlined. Stainless steel, high-polish mirrors, glass and brass accents, serve to frame the clothes – from the house’s autumn/winter ’19/’20 collection, including bags, sunglasses, jewellery, shoes and all of the above on the upper floor, which is men’s only.
Packed with references and personal details, Slimane’s mark on Melbourne doesn’t come without an impressive artistic get. The store is completed with a custom piece by Los Angeles-based artist Fay Ray, a nod to Slimane’s decade spent in the coastal Californian city. Known for her site-specific sculptures, Ray’s piece for Celine is complementary to the concrete, brutalist space, featuring spherical and conical shapes suspended from the ceiling. Filling the vacant stairwell area, the industrial-style piece ties in beautifully with Slimane’s take on furniture. Part of the Celine Art Project, Melbourne is one of a select number of global stores with custom artwork, endorsing the space as a Slimane-approved locale.
On the ground, Slimane’s love of clean lines and modernist furniture is made evident. Featuring furniture he designed himself, angular wooden chairs oppose monochromatic marble tables, and an upstairs sitting space is clad in warm oak wood. The textured, natural juxtaposition to the mirrored shelving provides a needed warmth to the store, and invites visitors to take a seat, relax and shop in peace.
After his re-ascension into the fashion world with his appointment at Celine in early 2018, Slimane set about recasting his brand vision in global stores that thus far include New York, Milan, L.A., Tokyo and Paris. As part of the Art Project, artists including Rochelle Goldberg, David Adamo, Virginia Overton, Davina Semo and Theaster Gates have been enlisted to make custom work, proving Slimane’s creative vision for Celine is as much cemented in art as it is fashion. As creative director of Dior Homme, and then Saint Laurent, Slimane’s creative concerns do not stop at clothing, and the same applies at Celine. Photographing the label’s campaigns, designing the furniture for the stores, creating the sets for shows, curating the music, and creating a stable of perfumes – which are available in the Melbourne store — are all part of his remit.
Visit the new store at 113 Collins Street, Melbourne.
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