What to expect from Phoebe Philo’s highly anticipated fashion comeback

People who work in fashion pride themselves on being cool, calm and collected. And yet when news broke in 2021 that Phoebe Philo was set to return to the style sphere with an eponymous label, the reaction was anything but understated.

Chinese star Faye Wong and Celine’s creative director Phoebe Philo pose together at Celine’s 2014 autumn/winter fashion show in Beijing, China, in May 2014. Photo: SCMP Archives

Women love Philo – in fact, if you ask industry insiders which designer they would most like to dress them (not a model on a shoot or a celebrity they’re styling, but themselves) at least half will probably say Philo. And for 17 years, they had plenty of opportunities to buy her clothes, first at Stella McCartney and then at Celine.

But when Philo left the French label in 2018, her followers were bereft and the market for her former collections skyrocketed. (Tagging yourself in #oldceline became the ultimate Instagram flex.)

Céline looks designed by Phoebe Philo during her tenure at the French label. Photo: Celine

“Phoebe Philo’s laid-back luxe style gave women the comfort and ease they had been longing for,” explains fashion historian Hannah Rochelle. “What she wore to take her bow on the catwalk at Celine was as instrumental in shaping trends as the clothes on the models themselves. After she teamed Adidas Stan Smiths – originally designed in the mid 1960s – with a roll neck and slim black trousers in 2010, the tennis shoe became a stalwart trend with women for the following decade. As did tucking one’s long hair into the aforementioned roll neck.”

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After years of male creative directors making clothes that looked fantastic on a catwalk or in a magazine, but which were not always easy to wear in day-to-day life, the British designer prioritised pieces one wanted to buy the next day. “What women loved about her work at Celine was that she was clearly designing with herself in mind, and who wouldn’t want to look as casually chic as Phoebe Philo?” asks Rochelle.

British fashion designer Phoebe Philo acknowledges the audience at the end of the Celine 2015 spring/summer ready-to-wear collection fashion show, in September 2014, in Paris. Photo: AFP

This translated into instant commercial success, and by the time Philo’s tenure at Celine came to an end, she had quadrupled sales to an impressive €800 million (US$846 million) per year.

A Celine luggage bag from resale website Vestiaire Collective. Photo: Vestiaire Collective

Interestingly, the look she pioneered was never showy. She was known for her minimalist designs that hung perfectly – the beautifully cut trousers; the perfect jacket; the dream coat. But at the same time she elevated pieces like those Stan Smiths or like Birkenstocks (which she used in a fashionable way for the first time) into a whole new sphere.

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Philo was also conscious of speaking to all women – not just perfect-looking twenty-somethings. She often talked about being proud of getting older and while at Celine she cast a then 80-year-old Joan Didion in a 2015 campaign. She was also one of the first creative directors at a major fashion house to take a proper maternity leave – and wasn’t shy to talk to the press about it.

Author Joan Didion in a 2015 Celine campaign. Photo: Celine

For all these reasons and many more, women felt profoundly connected to Philo – and so it has been with bated breath that the fashion community has awaited news of her return. And the wait has been longer than expected, as Philo took four years out to spend time with her art dealer husband and her two children.

Now though, there are mere weeks until her new label lands, with a release date of October 30 confirmed. The collection will consist of 150 pieces of clothing and accessories sold via phoebephilo.com.

“Being in my studio and making once again has been both exciting and incredibly fulfilling,” said the London-based designer in a statement. “I am very much looking forward to being back in touch with my audience and people everywhere.”

A model in a creation by British designer Phoebe Philo for Celine during the spring/summer 2011 ready-to-wear collection show in 2010, in Paris. Photo: AFP

French luxury group LVMH has taken a minority stake in the new venture, which means Philo should have free reign on the direction it takes, something that was very important to her. “To be independent, to govern and experiment on my own terms is hugely significant to me,” she said in the same statement – giving some indication as to why she never took on any of the major roles she was touted for, including replacing Karl Lagerfeld at Chanel.

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Funky Celine shoes from Vestiaire Collective. Photo: Vestiaire Collective

In the meantime, excitement over the upcoming launch means sales of her old collections have skyrocketed once again. Vestiaire Collective has even released an exclusive curation of Celine pieces, with over 300 preloved styles now available on their website.

For “Philophiles” (as her fans are known), Christmas has certainly come early.