Hedi Slimane (; born July 5, 1968) is a French photographer and couturier. From 2000 to 2007, he was the creative director for
Dior Homme (the menswear line of
Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
). From 2012 to 2016, he was the creative director for
Yves Saint Laurent. From February 2018 to October 2024, Slimane was the creative, artistic and image director of
Celine.
Early life
Slimane was born in the 11th arrondissement of Paris and grew up in the 19th arrondissement. His father was Tunisian and an accountant, and his mother was Italian and a seamstress. Two of his uncles were tailors.
In his youth, he and his mother made clothes together: Slimane sketched designs, the two would shop for fabrics and complete fittings, and his mother would cut and sew them.
He considered finding a career in the fashion industry although finding it as too competitive; instead, he studied political science and pursued a career in journalism.
At 11, he discovered photography, received his first camera and learned black and white darkroom printing. He studied Art History at the
École du Louvre
The École du Louvre () is a selective institution of higher education and prestigious ''grande école'' located in the Aile de Flore of the Louvre Palace in Paris, France. It is dedicated to the study of archaeology, art history, anthropology ...
and completed a tailor apprenticeship at a men's designer house.
[Hedi Slimane: Berlin, March 11 – May 31, 2004](_blank)
MoMA PS1
MoMA PS1 is a contemporary art institution at 2201 Jackson Avenue in the Long Island City neighborhood of Queens in New York City, United States. In addition to its exhibitions, the institution organizes the Sunday Sessions performance series, th ...
, New York.
Fashion
Slimane has no formal training in fashion.
Early in his career, he worked for designer José Lévy.
From 1992 to 1995 he assisted fashion consultant and press agent Jean-Jacques Picart on the centenary of the project "monogram canvas" of
Louis Vuitton
Louis Vuitton Malletier SAS, commonly known as Louis Vuitton (, ), is a French Luxury goods, luxury fashion house and company founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton (designer), Louis Vuitton. The label's LV monogram appears on most of its products, ...
.
Picart introduced Slimane to
Pierre Bergé
Pierre Vital Georges Bergé (; 14 November 1930 – 8 September 2017) was a French industrialist and patron. He co-founded the fashion label Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), and was a longtime business partner—and onetime significant other—of its ...
, who was searching for a men's wear designer for
Yves Saint Laurent.
To Slimane's surprise,
Pierre Bergé
Pierre Vital Georges Bergé (; 14 November 1930 – 8 September 2017) was a French industrialist and patron. He co-founded the fashion label Yves Saint Laurent (YSL), and was a longtime business partner—and onetime significant other—of its ...
hired him in 1996 as ready-to-wear director of men's collections at the house, where he would later become artistic director. When Slimane started, there were only a handful of men's designs at the house dating from Mr. Saint Laurent's early years.
One report describes his designs' sex appeal as, "not based on over-the-top embellishment ... rather, it comes from the same honest principles that have always driven fashion: cut, proportion and silhouette."
After the Black Tie collection for autumn-winter 2000–01, which foreshadowed the advent of Slimane's silhouette, and the debuts of "skinny," he chose to leave YSL, declined the offer of creative directorship at
Jil Sander
Heidemarie Jiline "Jil" Sander (; born 27 November 1943) is a German minimalist fashion designer and the founder of the Jil Sander (brand), Jil Sander fashion house.
Early life and education
Heidemarie Jiline Sander was born in Wesselburen on 2 ...
, and accepted the position of creative director for
menswear
Fashion is a term used interchangeably to describe the creation of clothing, footwear, Fashion accessory, accessories, cosmetics, and jewellery of different cultural aesthetics and their mix and match into Clothing, outfits that depict distinct ...
at
Christian Dior
Christian Ernest Dior (; 21 January 1905 – 24 October 1957) was a French fashion designer and founder of one of the world's top fashion houses, Dior, Christian Dior SE. His fashion house is known all around the world, having gained promi ...
. In June 2001, he headed up the launch of Dior Homme's first fragrance under his creative control, named Higher. He designed the packaging and worked with
Richard Avedon
Richard Avedon (May 15, 1923 – October 1, 2004) was an American fashion and portrait photographer. He worked for ''Harper's Bazaar'', '' Vogue'' and '' Elle'' specializing in capturing movement in still pictures of fashion, theater and ...
on the accompanying advertising campaign.
In April 2002, Hedi Slimane was the first menswear designer to receive the
CFDA award for International Designer.
David Bowie
David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer, songwriter and actor. Regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Bowie was acclaimed by critics and musicians, pa ...
, whom Hedi Slimane dressed for his tours, presented the Award.
Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. In a Brad Pitt filmography, film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received list of awards and nominations received by Brad Pitt, numerous a ...
had Slimane create his wedding suit for his marriage to Jennifer Aniston. Although he never designed a womenswear collection, he dressed female celebrities including
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
and
Nicole Kidman
Nicole Mary Kidman (born 20 June 1967) is an Australian and American actress and producer. Known for Nicole Kidman on screen and stage, her work in film and television productions across many genres, she has consistently ranked among the world ...
during his tenure at Dior. He also created stagewear for groups such as
the Libertines
The Libertines are an English Rock music, rock band, formed in London in 1997 by frontmen Carl Barât (vocals/guitar) and Pete Doherty (vocals/guitar). The band, centred on the songwriting partnership of Barât and Doherty, included John Hassall ...
,
Daft Punk
Daft Punk were a French electronic music duo formed in 1993 in Paris by Thomas Bangalter and Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo. They achieved popularity in the late 1990s as part of the French house movement, combining house music, funk, disco, tech ...
,
Franz Ferdinand, and
the Kills
The Kills are an English-American rock music, rock duo formed by American singer Alison Mosshart, Alison "VV" Mosshart and English guitarist Jamie Hince, Jamie "Hotel" Hince. They are signed to Domino Recording Company, Domino Records. Their fi ...
, and artists such as
Mick Jagger
Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...
,
Beck
Beck David Hansen (born Bek David Campbell; July 8, 1970), known mononymously as Beck, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He rose to fame in the early 1990s with his Experimental music, experimental and Lo-fi mus ...
, and
Jack White
John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975) is an American musician who achieved international fame as the guitarist and lead singer of the rock duo the White Stripes. As the White Stripes disbanded, he sought success with his solo career, subse ...
.
Slimane commissioned original soundtracks for his runway shows for Dior Homme, created by artists such as Beck,
Readymade FC (Jean-Philippe Verdin), and bands such as
Phoenix,
The Rakes
The Rakes were an English post-punk musical ensemble, band formed in London in 2003. Their first album ''Capture/Release'' released in 2005, received a nine out of ten review in the ''NME'' and was rated 13th best album of the year in the same ...
, and
Razorlight
Razorlight are an English indie rock band, formed in 2002 in London by lead singer and guitarist Johnny Borrell. Along with Borrell, the current line-up of the band is composed of founding members Björn Ågren on guitar and bassist Carl Dalem ...
. The track "In the Morning" was composed by Razorlight exclusively for the Dior Homme show. Slimane was known for working with emerging avant-garde artists. Readymade FC composed "F Me" (2001–2002) and the legendary "Flexion" (2002–2003).
These New Puritans, composed "Navigate, Navigate" for the last défilé of Dior Homme in January 2007.
In July 2007, Slimane did not renew his contract at
Dior Homme. The fashion house discussed the funding of Slimane's own label, but the discussions failed. Slimane had written on his website that he did not want to lose control of his name, and management of his own brand. He returned to fashion and portrait photography.
In March 2011, following
John Galliano
John Charles Galliano (born 28 November 1960) is a British fashion designer. He was the creative director of his eponymous label John Galliano and French fashion houses Givenchy and Dior. From 2014 to 2024, Galliano was the creative director ...
's dismissal from Dior, Slimane was linked with the job of new Dior creative director.
In March 2012,
Yves Saint Laurent and its parent company,
PPR, officially stated that Slimane would replace
Stefano Pilati as creative director at Yves Saint Laurent, after the departure of the latter, who held said position for almost eight years. He based his creative studio in Los Angeles, rather than the brand's Parisian headquarters. In April 2016, Slimane was succeeded by Anthony Vaccarello as creative director for Yves Saint Laurent.
In January 2018,
LVMH
LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SE (), commonly known as LVMH, is a French multinational holding company and conglomerate that specializes in luxury goods and has its headquarters in Paris, France. The company was formed in 1987 through the ...
announced that Slimane would take on the role of creative director at Céline. Following the rebranding direction, Slimane has dropped the French accent for Céline, making it
Celine.
In April 2018, Slimane won more than 8 million euros in a lawsuit against
Kering
Kering S.A. () is a French multinational holding company specializing in luxury goods, headquartered in Paris. It owns the brands Yves Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balenciaga, Bottega Veneta, Creed, Maui Jim, and Alexander McQueen.
The timber-tradin ...
after he was paid only €667,000 instead of €10 million for his
non-compete clause
In contract law, a non-compete clause (often NCC), restrictive covenant, or covenant not to compete (CNC), is a clause under which one party (usually an employee) agrees not to enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition again ...
.
In January 2019, Slimane presented his first stand-alone menswear show for Celine.
In July 2020, Hedi Slimane presented his men's spring-summer 2021 collection in a video shot at the Castelet circuit in France during confinement. In 2021 and subsequent years, he dissociated himself from the official Parisian ready-to-wear calendar and presented his men's and women's collections in a short film format, featuring mythical locations such as the Château de Chambord, the Baie des Anges in Nice, the Hotel de la Marine in Paris, The Wiltern in Los Angeles, the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris and the Mojave Desert in the USA. In April 2021, Hedi Slimane presented his Fall-Winter 2021 women's collection in a video shot at the Château de Vaux-le-Vicomte.
On June 26, 2022, Slimane showed his spring/summer 2023 collection for
Celine at the
Palais de Tokyo
The Palais de Tokyo (''Tokyo Palace'') is a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art, located at 13 avenue du Président-Wilson, facing the Trocadéro, in the 16th arrondissement of Paris. The eastern wing of the building belongs to ...
, the same location where he presented his autumn/winter collection for
Dior Homme twenty years earlier.
Published notes accompanying the show quote him as saying, "
wanted to pay tribute to the institution and remember this moment in
ymenswear reform."
In October of 2024 he exited Celine.
Perfumery
Dior
In 2004, when he was in charge of Dior Homme collections, Hedi Slimane created a private collection of colognes.
The first collection encompassed three colognes, including Cologne Blanche, Eau Noire and Bois d'Argent.
Hedi Slimane designed the bottle and changed the typography of the Dior logo by using uppercase letters. The distribution of the collection was then carried out exclusively in Maison Christian Dior boutiques. These are the first colognes by Dior.
In 2005, after the launch of the Collection Privée Christian Dior, Hedi Slimane, in collaboration with Olivier Polge, created a new fragrance Dior Homme which revolved around Masculinized Iris. Similar to the colognes, he designed the bottle, the concept and the advertising campaign.
In 2006, he also created a line of six skincare products called Dior Homme Dermo System.
Celine
In 2019, while artistic director of Celine, he created a collection named Celine Haute Parfumerie. This collection included 11 fragrances, 2 of which were announced for later dates: "Rimbaud" and "Bois Dormant".
He also opened boutiques dedicated to this new Haute Parfumerie collection, first on Rue Saint Honoré, then at Le Bon Marché in Paris, as well as Harrods in London. Between 1964 and 2019, Celine had not released any perfumes.
He designed the bottles, created the fragrances' names.
The 11 names chosen by Hedi Slimane for each perfume were derived from the couturier's olfactory journal.
The collection was unisex as it was designed for both men and women.
In 2021, Slimane launched a line of scented candles.
In April 2024, Hedi Slimane created Zouzou, the latest fragrance of his Haute Parfumerie collection for Celine. It is Celine's twelfth fragrance.
By 2024, Celine’s Haute Parfumerie collection, created by Slimane in 2019, included 12 fragrances. While 9 of these perfumes are for the day (Parade, Saint-Germain-Des-Prés, Cologne Française, La Peau Nue, Zouzou, Rimbaud, Bois Dormant and Eau de Californie), the others are designed for the night (Reptile, Black Tie and Nightclubbing).
Watchmaking
In 2004, at Dior, he created the Chiffre Rouge watch, the brand's first automatic watch,
which was available in 21 models.
The watch's caliber is developed by Zenith Manufacture. Dior later introduced new versions: in 2015 and in 2024.
In 2024, on the occasion of its twentieth anniversary, commercialization was planned for February, with models targeting both women and men.
The watch is characterized by an asymmetrical silhouette and the presence of elements in red, including a cherished date for the brand.
One edition, adorned with stones and decorated with a rainbow of jewels, was produced in only 20 pieces.
Cosmetics
In March 2024, Celine announced the launch of "Celine Beauty", the house's first cosmetics line, under the direction of Slimane. Celine Beauty includes the lipstick "Rouge Triomphe" (released in autumn 2024), the first shade in a collection of fifteen announced in January 2025.
Art and photography
Immediately after leaving
Yves Saint Laurent, Slimane moved to Berlin, whereupon the invitation by curator
Klaus Biesenbach
Klaus Biesenbach (born 1966)Erica Orden (December 26, 2009)Herr Zeitgeist''New York Magazine''. is a German-American curator and museum director. He is the Director of the Neue Nationalgalerie, with Berggruen Museum and Scharf-Gerstenberg Colle ...
, he took up a residency at the
Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art
The KW Institute for Contemporary Art (also known as Kunst-Werke) is a contemporary art institution located in AuguststraĂźe 69 in Berlin-Mitte, Germany. Klaus Biesenbach was the founding director of KW; the current director is Emma Enderby.
KW ...
between 2000 and 2002.
''Berlin'', a selection of black and white photographs published by Editions 7L/Steidl with
Karl Lagerfeld
Karl Otto Lagerfeld also called Kaiser Karl (; 10 September 1933 – 19 February 2019) was a German fashion designer, photographer, and creative director.
Lagerfeld began his career in fashion in the 1950s, working for several top fashion hous ...
and
Steidl
Steidl is a German-language publisher based in Göttingen, Germany. Founded in 1968 by Gerhard Steidl, it publishes photobooks.
Overview
The company was started by Gerhard Steidl.Bill Kouwenhoven, "Off to see the wizard", ''British Journa ...
in 2002, was Slimane's first book documenting the Berlin scene. ''Stage'', published by Steidl in 2004, is his second book published on the rock revival and the 2.0 generation. Also in 2004, Slimane created the album cover for the band
Phoenix's album ''
Alphabetical
Alphabetical order is a system whereby character strings are placed in order based on the position of the characters in the conventional ordering of an alphabet. It is one of the methods of collation. In mathematics, a lexicographical order is ...
''.
''London Birth of a Cult'', released by Steidl in 2005, described the daily life of a young, unknown British rock star
Pete Doherty
Peter Doherty (born 12 March 1979) is an English musician. He is best known for being co-frontman of the Libertines, which he formed with Carl Barât in 1997. His other musical projects are indie rock, indie bands Babyshambles and Peter Dohert ...
. Pete Doherty is surrounded by
the Paddingtons, his fans, and he symbolized the new generation of London
punk rock
Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...
. The book foreshadowed the project on "London". Slimane proposed "London" to the French daily ''
Libération
(), popularly known as ''Libé'' (), is a daily newspaper in France, founded in Paris by Jean-Paul Sartre and Serge July in 1973 in the wake of the protest movements of May 1968 in France, May 1968. Initially positioned on the far left of Fr ...
''. The London issue was published in May 2005.
In May 2006, Hedi Slimane created the photographic blog Hedi Slimane Diary. Slimane created his Rock Diary, beginning in 2004 in collaboration with the British journalist from
NME
''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...
, Alex Needham. In addition, he shot spreads for magazines including French ''
Vogue
Vogue may refer to:
Business
* ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine
** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine
** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries
** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine
** ' ...
'', ''
VMAN'', and ''
Purple
Purple is a color similar in appearance to violet light. In the RYB color model historically used in the arts, purple is a secondary color created by combining red and blue pigments. In the CMYK color model used in modern printing, purple is ...
''.
When Slimane left for America and based himself in Los Angeles in 2007, California became the subject of many of his images and later the subject of several exhibitions.
Slimane shot the cover artwork for
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
's sophomore album,
The Fame Monster
''The Fame Monster'' is a reissue of American singer Lady Gaga's debut studio album, ''The Fame'' (2008). It was released on November 17, 2009, by Interscope Records, Streamline Records, KonLive Distribution, and Cherrytree Records. Initially ...
, released in 2009.
In 2011, he curated "Myths and Legends of Los Angeles" a group show of Californian artists, including
John Baldessari
John Anthony Baldessari (June 17, 1931 – January 2, 2020) was an American conceptual artist known for his work featuring found photography and appropriated images. He lived and worked in Santa Monica and Venice, California.
Initially a paint ...
,
Ed Ruscha
Edward Joseph Ruscha IV (, ''roo-SHAY''; born December 16, 1937) is an American artist associated with the anti- pop art movement. He has worked in the media of painting, printmaking, drawing, photography, and film. He is also noted for creating s ...
,
Chris Burden
Christopher Lee Burden (April 11, 1946 – May 10, 2015) was an American artist working in performance art, sculpture, and installation art. Burden became known in the 1970s for his performance art works, including ''Shoot (Burden), Shoot'' (1971) ...
,
Sterling Ruby, Mark Hagen, and Patrick Hill at
Almine Rech Gallery in Paris and Brussels. His own work was shown in 2011 at the
MOCA, where Slimane presented a photographic installation that showcased an archive of images from his California period. The exhibition, titled "California Song", was created in a kinematics way, accompanied by a soundtrack by the musical group No Age. No Age performed on the opening night on November 11, 2011, drawing a record attendance of over 2,000 people for the MOCA. The opening night performance became the subject of a documentary by Slimane and Commonwealth.
Commissioned for the 2011 debut issue of ''Garage'', a magazine created by
Dasha Zhukova
Darya "Dasha" Alexandrovna Zhukova (; born 8 June 1981) is a Russian-American art collector, businesswoman, magazine editor, and socialite. She is the founder of the Garage Museum of Contemporary Art and ''Garage Magazine''.
Early life and edu ...
, Slimane designed one of the three versions of the publication's covers.
Bibliography
* 2002 – ''Intermission 1'', Charta
* 2003 – ''Berlin'', Steidl/7L
* 2004 – ''Stage'', Steidl/7L
* 2005 – ''London Birth of A Cult'', Steidl/7L
* 2005 – ''Interzone: The Hedi Slimane Book'', Purple Fashion 4
* 2006 – ''Portrait of A Performer: Courtney Love'', a Visionaire bookzine
* 2007 – ''Costa Da Caparica 1989'' exhibition catalogue
* 2008 – ''Rock Diary'', JRP-Ringier
* 2009 – ''American Youth'', DVD Box set, MK2
* 2011 – ''Anthology of A Decade'', JRP-Ringier. (Collection; divided into 4 Books: France, UK, US, DE/RU)
Exhibitions
* 2004 – ''Berlin'' at Kunstwerke, Berlin
* 2004 – ''Berlin'' at MOMA/PS1, New York
* 2004 – ''Berlin'' at Koyanagi Gallery, Tokyo
* 2004 – ''Stage'' at Almine Rech Gallery, Paris
* 2005 – ''Robert Mapplethorpe'' curated by Hedi Slimane, at Thaddeus Ropac Gallery, Paris
* 2005 – ''Thank You For The Music'' group show, Spruth Magers Gallery, Munich
* 2006 – ''As Tears Go By'' at Almine Rech Gallery, Paris
* 2006 – ''I Love My Scene'' group show curated by Jose Freire, Mary Boone Gallery, New York
* 2006 – ''Portrait of A Performer'' at
Galerie Gmurzynska, Zurich
* 2007 – ''Costa Da Caparica'' at Ellipse Foundation, Lisbon
* 2007 – ''Sweet Bird of Youth'' group show curated by Hedi Slimane at Arndt and Partner, Berlin
* 2007 – ''Young American'' at Foam Museum, Amsterdam
* 2007 – ''Perfect Stranger'' at Almine Rech Gallery, Paris
* 2008 – MUSAC Museum for Contemporary Art, Leon, Spain
* 2011 – ''Fragments Americana'' at Almine Rech Gallery, Brussels
* 2011 – ''California Dreamin, Myths and Legends of Los Angeles'' group show curated by Hedi Slimane, Almine Rech Gallery, Paris
* 2011 – ''California Song'' at MOCA, Los Angeles
* 2014 – ''SONIC'' at The Fondation Pierre Bergé – Yves Saint Laurent, Paris
References
External links
*
__FORCETOC__
{{DEFAULTSORT:Slimane, Hedi
1968 births
Living people
French fashion designers
LGBTQ fashion designers
French people of Tunisian descent
French people of Italian descent
French photographers
École du Louvre alumni
Dior people
Yves Saint Laurent (brand)