Fashion designer Hedi Slimane just gave his first interview to French newspaper Le Figaro since his appointment as the artistic director of French luxury brand Celine.
He chatted about gifting Lady Gaga with the first Celine bag, his relationship with social media, and so much more. Here’s what the fashionable Frenchman had to share:
On gifting Lady Gaga the first Celine bag: “I gave her this bag in private as a present, because she’s a longtime friend.”
On Los Angeles having a creative and artistic stimulation: “This became clearer later, after 2008. Barack Obama’s presidential victory played an important role, it meant something promising. By contrast, Donald Trump’s election created a climate of uncertainty so strong that you cannot escape it. California joined the resistance, but the energy has fatally changed. I still live in Los Angeles, but it is different.”
On suffering with chronic illness: “Just like many people, I have severe chronic tinnitus. It happened over a year ago now, when I started hearing obsessive and persisting noises one morning. I have been to many specialists in the United States, in Europe, but there’s no cure. This tinnitus apparently comes from a post-traumatic stress disorder, without acoustic shock.”
On his relationship with social media: “I don’t have any private accounts on social media. I don’t have a personal Instagram account. My photography website is displayed on Instagram, but the page is not linked to me. I understand the excitement, but to me, the personal privacy seems to be the last luxury that must be preserved. The selfie-craze is an anthropological topic in and of itself…Will the world eventually get tired of this emulation of reality, of the algorithm to get to the top, of this search for cyber-fame, where quantity is what impresses the crowds? …Will the next social networks evolve towards a new realism where there will be no alterations and touch ups? I realize how difficult it must be to grow up in a world of “likes” when we’re not the most popular girl or boy in school. Will the popularity contest smooth out the differences?”
For the full Le Figaro interview with Hedi, check out the English translation at BoF.com.
Hedi’s first collection for Celine is much anticipated and will be shown in Paris this Friday, September 28. This marks the French couturier’s return to fashion two years after leaving Saint Laurent.
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