NIKA NEELOVA

Hedi Slimane’s aesthetic sense is famously precise, combining as it does his encyclopaedic knowledge of modern and contemporary art, his fondness for the style of the 1970s bourgeoisie, and his deep affinity with counterculture.

 

Since his arrival as the creative, artistic, and image director of CELINE in 2018, he has methodically rebuilt the brand to straddle modernism (via his sharp, slim silhouettes) and nostalgia (through artful references to the brands own archives, including the revival of its monogram).

 

Nowhere is that more evident than in CELINE’s new London flagship, which opens today at 40 New Bond Street. As to be expected from a Slimane installation, marble and mirrors feature heavily. But alongside them sit a brace of newly-commissioned artworks, from the Ugandan sculptor Leilah Babirye and the Russian-born artist Nika Neelova.

 

The space also makes use of the Edwardian building in which it’s set: the original features of the building have been preserved, including an original octagonal parlour, decorated with shell appliques, which has been converted into a space for the brand’s fragrances and homewares. Within the basement, too, is another surprise: a 17th-Century Flemish oil portrait, as a nod to the heritage and history of the building.

 

The store also includes several pieces of furniture designed by Slimane himself, alongside mid-century pieces sourced by the brand.

 

CELINE
40 New Bond Street
London
W1S 2RX