The famous British fashion designer Phoebe Philo officially announced today that it will launch a personal brand of the same name. At the same time, her former owner, French luxury goods giant LVMH Group, will become a minority investor in the brand.
Phoebe Philo stated in the statement (see picture below) that her namesake brand will be “rooted in superior quality and design” to create fashion and accessories. She will reveal more details about the new brand in January 2022.
Phoebe Philo resigned from LVMH’s luxury brand Céline (Si Lin) in December 2017. In February 2020, the news of Phoebe Philo’s intention to return for the first time came out. According to sources, Phoebe Philo has a small team in London and has been preparing for the new brand since the end of last year.
She said in the statement: “Entering my studio again and creating creations is both exciting and incredibly fulfilling. I look forward to reconnecting with my clients and people around the world. Independently, To manage and experiment in my own way is of great significance to me.”
The launch of Phoebe Philo’s personal brand has also won the support of the LVMH Group. LVMH will make a minority investment in Phoebe Philo. The scale of the investment is not yet known and the financial terms have not been disclosed.
Regarding the cooperation between the two parties, Phoebe Philo said: “Over the years, I have established a very constructive and creative partnership with LVMH. Therefore, reconnecting through this new project is a natural process for us. I am very grateful. Discuss new ideas with (LVMH chairman) Bernard Arnault and Delphine Arnault. I am very happy to start this adventure with their support.” Delphine Arnault is the eldest daughter of Bernard Arnault, executive vice president of Louis Vuitton brand company, executive vice president of LVMH group board Members.
Bernard Arnault, Chairman and CEO of LVMH, called Philo “one of the most talented designers of our time.” “We have known her and admired her for a long time. Over the years, Philo has contributed to the success of the group through her outstanding creations. With this in mind, I am very happy to work with Phoebe on her entrepreneurial adventure and wish her achieved great success.”
In fact, even for a luxury industry “overlord” such as LVMH, the creation of a new brand also means huge uncertainty. In February 2021, LVMH just stopped cooperating with the American singer Rihanna (Rihanna) to launch the Fenty fashion brand which was only two years old.
However, for Phoebe Philo, who has always been good at grasping the balance between creativity and the market, is well-received and popular, LVMH does not have to worry about its brand positioning and product development like Fenty. Therefore, unlike Fenty, this time, LVMH did not lead to “incubate” a brand by itself, but, like a venture capital institution, supported Phoebe Philo to play the leading role as a major shareholder by giving a minority equity investment at the initial stage of the brand. While this investment will pay off in the future, it is more important to ensure that this new brand, which has been highly anticipated by the industry from its birth, is included in the LVMH group’s camp as early as possible.
Born in 1973, Phoebe Philo graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Art in London, and was a classmate with another well-known British female designer, Stella McCartney. In 1997, Phoebe Philo joined French fashion brand Chloé as Stella McCartney’s design assistant; in 2001, Stella McCartney left Chloé due to the development of a personal brand, and Phoebe Philo succeeded as creative director.
(It is worth mentioning that Stella McCartney’s personal brand also received a minority investment from LVMH Group in 2019 after ending a 17-year joint venture relationship with Kering Group.)
Phoebe Philo is brilliant, but he acts quite low-key. During Chloé’s role as creative director, Philo’s minimalist and fashionable women’s clothing and accessories successfully accelerated the brand’s renaissance. At the height of the sun, she chose to temporarily retreat in 2006, leaving more time for her young children and her family. In 2008, Phoebe Philo accepted the invitation of the LVMH Group after his comeback to serve as the creative director of Céline and joined the board of directors.
After three years of emptying, Phoebe Philo’s personal design career has entered a golden age. She took Céline’s style away from the previous era of Michael Kors and Roberto Menichetti, and introduced minimalism and realism into fashion, while paying attention to details. Her design has given this classic fashion brand a new definition-unpretentious, mature, and classic. Her show is always crowded with important figures in the fashion industry. The classic series of handbags she designed quickly became popular as soon as it was launched, making Céline a strong position in the leather goods field.
In December 2017, Phoebe Philo announced her resignation from Céline. At that time, she said that she had completed Céline’s innovation work and decided to take a break.
After leaving Céline, Phoebe Philo has been keeping a low profile. At the beginning of this year, Phoebe Philo joined the jury of the 2021 French ANDAM Fashion Awards. This is one of the few public moves she has made since she left Céline.
It is reported that Phoebe Philo has maintained close contact with the Arnault family, especially Delphine Arnault.