Hedi Slimane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hedi Slimane
|
|
|---|---|
Slimane in 2015
|
|
| Born | July 5, 1968 Paris, France
|
| Education | École du Louvre |
| Occupation |
|
Hedi Slimane, born on July 5, 1968, is a famous French photographer and fashion designer. He is known for leading the design teams at big fashion houses. From 2000 to 2007, he was the creative director for Dior Homme, which is the menswear line of Christian Dior. Later, from 2012 to 2016, he worked as the creative director for Yves Saint Laurent. Most recently, from February 2018 to October 2024, Slimane was the creative, artistic, and image director for Celine.
Contents
Early Life and Discovering Art
Hedi Slimane was born in Paris, France. His father was from Tunisia and worked as an accountant, and his mother was from Italy and was a dressmaker. He also had two uncles who were tailors.
When he was young, Hedi and his mother often made clothes together. He would draw designs, and they would pick out fabrics. His mother would then cut and sew the clothes. At age 11, he found his love for photography. He got his first camera and learned how to develop black and white photos in a darkroom. Even though he thought the fashion world was very competitive, he studied Art History at the École du Louvre. He also learned tailoring at a men's design house.
Fashion Design Career
Hedi Slimane did not go to a special fashion school. Early in his career, he helped fashion consultant Jean-Jacques Picart with a project for Louis Vuitton. Picart then introduced Slimane to Pierre Bergé, who was looking for a menswear designer for Yves Saint Laurent.
Leading Yves Saint Laurent
In 1996, Pierre Bergé hired Slimane as the ready-to-wear director for men's collections at Yves Saint Laurent. He later became the artistic director. When Slimane started, there were only a few men's designs from the brand's early years.
Creative Director at Dior Homme
After showing his "Black Tie" collection, Slimane decided to leave Yves Saint Laurent. He then became the creative director for Dior Homme at Christian Dior in 2000. In June 2001, he launched Dior Homme's first fragrance, "Higher." He designed the bottle and worked with photographer Richard Avedon on the ads.
In April 2002, Hedi Slimane was the first menswear designer to win the International Designer award from the CFDA. David Bowie, a famous musician who wore Slimane's designs for his tours, gave him the award.
Slimane designed a wedding suit for actor Brad Pitt. Even though he mostly designed for men, he also dressed famous women like Madonna and Nicole Kidman. He also created stage outfits for music groups such as The Libertines and Daft Punk, and artists like Mick Jagger.
Slimane often asked artists to create special music for his runway shows at Dior Homme. Bands like Phoenix and Razorlight made music just for his shows.
In July 2007, Slimane decided not to renew his contract with Dior Homme. He wanted to have more control over his own brand. After leaving Dior, he focused on fashion and portrait photography.
Return to Yves Saint Laurent
In March 2012, Yves Saint Laurent announced that Slimane would become their new creative director. He set up his design studio in Los Angeles, California, instead of Paris. In April 2016, he was replaced by Anthony Vaccarello.
Directing Celine's Vision
In January 2018, LVMH announced that Slimane would become the creative director at Céline. He decided to remove the accent from the brand's name, making it Celine.
In January 2019, Slimane showed his first menswear collection for Celine. From 2020 onwards, he started presenting his men's and women's collections as short films. These films were shot in amazing places like the Château de Chambord in France and the Mojave Desert in the USA.
On June 26, 2022, Slimane showed his spring/summer 2023 collection for Celine at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. This was the same place where he showed his autumn/winter collection for Dior Homme twenty years earlier. He said he wanted to honor the place and remember that important moment in his menswear career. He left Celine in October 2024.
Perfume Creations
Hedi Slimane has also made a big impact in the world of perfumes.
Dior Fragrances
In 2004, while at Dior Homme, Slimane created a special collection of colognes. This first collection included three scents: Cologne Blanche, Eau Noire, and Bois d'Argent. He designed the bottles and changed the Dior logo to use all capital letters. These were the first colognes ever made by Dior.
In 2005, he worked with Olivier Polge to create a new fragrance called Dior Homme. He designed the bottle, the idea, and the advertising for this perfume too. He also created a line of six skincare products for men called Dior Homme Dermo System in 2006.
Celine Perfumes
In 2019, as artistic director of Celine, Slimane created the Celine Haute Parfumerie collection. This collection included 11 fragrances, with two more announced for later. He also opened special stores just for these new perfumes in Paris and London. Celine had not released any perfumes between 1964 and 2019.
He designed the bottles and chose the names for the fragrances. The names came from his own ideas and experiences. The collection was made for both men and women. In 2021, Slimane also launched a line of scented candles. In April 2024, he created "Zouzou," the twelfth fragrance in his Celine Haute Parfumerie collection.
By 2024, Celine’s Haute Parfumerie collection had 12 fragrances. Some are meant for daytime, like "Parade" and "Eau de Californie," while others are designed for evening, such as "Reptile" and "Black Tie."
Watch Design
In 2004, while at Dior, Hedi Slimane designed the Chiffre Rouge watch. This was the brand's first automatic watch, meaning it winds itself using the wearer's movement. It came in 21 different styles.
The watch's inner workings were developed by Zenith Manufacture. Dior later released new versions of the watch in 2015 and 2024. The 2024 models were released for its twentieth anniversary and were designed for both women and men. The Chiffre Rouge watch is known for its unique shape and red details. One special edition, decorated with many colorful jewels, had only 20 pieces made.
Cosmetics
In March 2024, Celine announced that they would launch "Celine Beauty," their first line of makeup, under Slimane's direction. The first product, a lipstick called "Rouge Triomphe," was released in autumn 2024. This is the first shade in a collection of fifteen lipsticks planned for January 2025.
Art and Photography
After leaving Yves Saint Laurent, Slimane moved to Berlin. He became an artist-in-residence at the Kunst-Werke Institute for Contemporary Art from 2000 to 2002.
His first book, Berlin, published in 2002, showed black and white photos of the Berlin art scene. His second book, Stage, published in 2004, focused on the rock music revival. In 2004, Slimane also designed the album cover for the band Phoenix's album Alphabetical.
His 2005 book, London Birth of a Cult, showed the daily life of a young British rock star, Pete Doherty. In May 2005, Slimane also created a special "London" issue for the French newspaper Libération.
In May 2006, Hedi Slimane started his photographic blog called Hedi Slimane Diary. He also took photos for magazines like French Vogue and VMAN.
When Slimane moved to Los Angeles in 2007, California became the focus of many of his photos and later, several art shows. He shot the cover art for Lady Gaga's album, The Fame Monster, released in 2009.
In 2011, he put together an art show called "Myths and Legends of Los Angeles" in Paris and Brussels. It featured works by Californian artists like John Baldessari and Ed Ruscha. His own photos were shown in 2011 at the MOCA. This exhibition, called "California Song," included many of his photos from his time in California. The band No Age played music at the opening night, which brought in over 2,000 people.
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
See also
In Spanish: Hedi Slimane para niños
