Introduction
Michael Rider is an American designer from Washington, D.C. who became creative director of Celine in January 2025. After studying at Brown University, he joined Nicolas Ghesquière’s Balenciaga studio in 2004 and moved to Celine in 2008 as design director of ready-to-wear under Phoebe Philo. He spent almost a decade between the house’s Paris operations and London studio before leading Polo Ralph Lauren womenswear from 2018 to May 2024.
Rider returned to Celine with responsibility for womenswear, menswear, leather goods, accessories and couture, while image and communications remained separately directed. His July 2025 co-ed debut at 16 rue Vivienne reopened the house’s scarf, Triomphe, sportswear and leather-goods histories without presenting the change as a restoration of one predecessor. By June 2026 he had added dedicated menswear presentations and developed the New Luggage bag as a link between Philo’s Luggage system and Vipiana’s 1969 Mistral.
Design ethos
Rider works through synthesis and ensemble. Preppy sportswear, Parisian tailoring, scarves, equestrian details and substantial jewellery are layered until familiar wardrobe forms acquire a controlled imbalance: a blazer buttoned on the diagonal, a rugby shirt extended into a dress or a refined bag interrupted by a curved smile zip.
His early Celine collections favour intuition over a single seasonal thesis. Colour, material and styling allow apparently contradictory references to coexist, while a collaborative studio process keeps the result open rather than monumental. The clothes remain legible and wearable, but their order is unsettled just enough to expose how a wardrobe is assembled.
Disclaimer
Career history
2025
Michael Rider’s New Luggage softened the Phantom Luggage body and offered curved and straight front zips. The smile variation links Phoebe Philo’s bag system to the wave-like line of Céline Vipiana’s 1969 Mistral, making product construction the point of historical connection.
2025
Michael Rider began work as Celine creative director in January 2025, assuming responsibility for fashion and product categories while image and communications remained outside his remit.
2025
Michael Rider returned to Celine with full creative responsibility for womenswear, menswear, leather goods, accessories and couture. His opening collections synthesise several house histories while separating product direction from image and communications.
2024
Celine named Michael Rider as Hedi Slimane’s successor, effective early 2025. Rider’s earlier decade in Phoebe Philo’s studio made the appointment a return to the house as well as a change in leadership.
2008
Michael Rider joined Celine as design director of ready-to-wear and worked between Paris and Phoebe Philo’s London studio for almost a decade. The position made him a senior contributor to the house’s modern wardrobe before his 2025 return as creative director.
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