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In a world dominated by social media oversharers, an Instagram account with zero posts but many followers is the territory of the enigmatic but mightily influential. See Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean and – since last week – Phoebe Philo.
The designer’s account appeared on 9 February with an appropriately minimal message: “Our inaugural collection will be revealed and available on our website, phoebephilo.com, in September 2023. We will be opening for registration in July 2023 and look forward to being back in touch then.” It has since been deleted, but not before the followers ramped up – 166,000 at the time of writing – and the account gained blue tick verification.
In the week that the “cultural global icon” Pharrell Williams was named creative director of Louis Vuitton menswear, Philo’s return comes at a very good time for fans of her quieter fashion. Across a decade at Celine from 2008 to 2018, Philo focused on clothes that were minimal but interesting, luxurious (the price points were eye-watering) but rooted in reality. This perspective is enjoying something of a comeback, after a phase of fashion that has focused on viral moments. At New York fashion week this week, influential critic Rachel Tashjian hailed a return to quiet design, or “clothes for the real world” at brands such as Proenza Schouler and Eckhaus Latta. Although Bottega Veneta and The Row share this philosophy, Philo is arguably the quietest of them all. Her fellow designers are no doubt quaking in their tastefully designed boots.
Meanwhile, the designer’s devoted and influential fanbase – often called Philophiles – must be beside themselves. Her stock has only risen during these years out of the limelight. The Instagram account Old Celine Market and resale sites sell her previous designs for four-figure prices.
The designer’s new brand was first announced in July 2021. Philo said in a statement that the label, backed with a minority stake from LVMH, would focus on “clothing and accessories rooted in exceptional quality and design”. Working on her own brand for the first time in her successful career signifies new territory. Since 2021, she has quietly (of course) recruited a team – including CEO Patrik Silen, and staff members formerly at Balenciaga and Burberry.
Philo became a cult hero in fashion during her tenure at Celine – with her designs often seen as a sartorial interpretation of the female gaze. “My aim is to reveal and not to display women,” she once said. The details and style quirks that she promoted often found their way to wardrobes way beyond the super-rich. Thanks to Philo, prosaic items including the polo neck and sensible-heeled shoes became fashionable, and author Joan Didion – in a 2015 Celine campaignat the age of 80 – bleeped onto the radar of fashionable consumers. The Birkenstock’s current fashionability can be traced back to her designs. Personally, I spent a long time trying to source a dupe of a miniskirt in her first collection, and bought a £3 checked laundry bag from my local laundrette in homage to the collection using the print in 2013.
The designer herself – elegant and mysterious – also provided those tweaks to your style that felt like gamechangers. Although they are now a cliche – especially when worn with a floral midi – it’s partly thanks to her that the Stan Smith became the shoe of the 2010s, after they were spotted on her feet during post-show bows. The fashion penchant for folding hair inside a rollneck is also a Philo trick. The designer also starred on the first-ever cover of influential magazine the Gentlewoman in 2010.
Fans were dismayed when she left Celine. They became particularly angry when faced with the first collection of her successor, Hedi Slimane. If Philo’s aesthetic is about clothes that bring joy to the everyday of women’s lives, Slimane’s focuses on a rockn’roll party look – his latest show happened this week in Paris, continuing the theme at the Le Palace nightclub.
The news that Philo was setting up her own brand was greeted rapturously when it was announced in 2021. Speak to Paper magazine, celebrity stylist Karla Welch summed up the feeling. “For Phoebe fans, I think in one moment, no other brand mattered. That’s her power. We already know we want it all,” she said. Almost two years, several fashion moments and an appropriately minimal Instagram presence later, there’s little doubt that feeling remains.
