Phoebe Philo Steps Down from Céline with No Plans to Join Another Brand

Celine creative director Phoebe Philo has told her team she is leaving the French luxury leather brand after its autumn presentation.

There were reports she could join her former chief executive Marco Gobbetti at Burberry when chief creative officer Christopher Bailey leaves at the end of March, but market sources say she has no plans to move immediately to another house and may simply take a break from fashion, reports BOF.

“Working with Celine has been an exceptional experience for me these past 10 years,” says Philo.

Bernard Arnault, chairman and CEO of LVMH, Celine’s parent company, describes Philo’s accomplishments as a “key chapter” for the brand with her minimalist designs and emphasis on tailoring. She was behind many of Celine’s hit bags, including the Phantom, Trapeze and Trio.

The London-born designer won British Designer of the Year at the British Fashion Awards in 2010 for the second time, and the following year received the International Award at the CFDA Fashion Awards.

Over the past decade, Celine’s annual sales grew from €200 million (US$236 million) to more than €700 million, analysts say (LVMH does not break out figures for the label).

Philo studied with Stella McCartney at Central Saint Martins in the late 1990s, following the designer when she took over from Karl Lagerfeld as creative director at Chloe in 1997. After McCartney left to set up her own label, Philo was appointed as her replacement.