Phoebe Philo is a well-known figure in the fashion industry for her minimalistic yet very precise luxurious approach to how to dress a woman. Philo was one of the many designers who started to look at the woman who could be both a CEO of a company, a mother, and a friend of someone—constructing her designs as practical for the working woman yet flattering for the woman with all the time in the world.
Who is Phoebe Philo?
Phoebe Philo with Stella Mccartney on the opening of the Chloe boutique. Image from Getty images.
Philo grew up with middle-class parents going to a comprehensive school in England. After a period of time, Philo came to the well-known Central Saint Martines, University of Arts in London. Central Saint Martins is known for its famous graduates, especially for the fashion design courses such as Alexander McQueen, John Galliano, Craig Green, Hussein Chalayan, Kiko Kostadinov, and many more. After her studies, she started working at Stella McCartney, as Stella Mccartney’s design assistant. Phoebe Philo and Stella McCartney allegedly met each other while studying at the same university where they bonded with each other. Philo worked for McCartney’s for approximately 18 months and left to go work at Chloe.
What did Philo do during her years at Chloe?
Phoebe Philo herself and three looks from her years in Chloe. Images from Vogue France
During Philo’s Chloe years, she gained a name for herself where she stood out from all the other designers. In an interview with British Vogue in December 2002 she spoke about her position at Chloe, “It’s a lot of work. It’s a bit like having children I suppose. It’s not until you do it yourself that you can even imagine. I smoke and I like a drink and I go out sometimes. But my life here is pretty much consumed by work.” Working as the creative director at Chloe for five years, Philo produced a blend of bohemian and romantic elements which women considered wearable and versatile designs. Philo left Chloe claiming she wanted to spend more time with her family, “My decision to resign is for personal reasons, especially to spend more time with my new baby in the coming months,” documented by WWD in 2006.
Philo’s Celine Years
Phoebe Philo herself and three looks from her years in Celine. Images from Getty Images.
The cleanse from fashion was long, wanting the loyal customers to want more from Phoebe Philo. In Spring/Summer 2010 Celine, she made the debut collection as the new creative director of Celine. Philo’s time at Celine affected the people by giving the woman loose elegance, portrayed through the quality and comfortability within the garment.
Between 2008 and 2018 Phoebe Philo gained Celine a cult following, and a cult that is willing to spend money, “During her ten years at the house, the British designer had attracted a loyal tribe of affluent women with her unfussy minimalist chic to the tune of $900 million in annual sales, according to analyst estimates” explored by BOF in 2018. On social media people were devastated when Phoebe Philo left Celine in 2018, creating hashtags and accounts for the attribute of “Old Céline.”
Phoebe Philo’s Return: First collection
Phoebe Philo’s looks from her recent collection, A1. Images were taken from PheobePhilo.com.
October 30th, 2023 was the date when Phoebe Philo had her personal comeback to the industry. Now with her own brand under her own name. It was very much anticipated for her brand to finally come out. There were several attempts for the comeback, there were some unspoken concerns within the brand. Philo is a perfectionist at her craft, everyone waited patiently.
There were no runway shows neither large advertisements for this collection. It was simply staged for people “if you know you know.”
Was it the most out breaking collection on the market? No. But it did start a stir the pot.
Phoebe Philo was one of the many first grand designers who decided not to present the collection on the runway or have a presentation. She simply came out with the garments ready to be bought online. The customer would look through the looks on the images and buy it or not. It was a sort of method of see and buy.
The introductory collection, by the name of A1, defines a woman who chooses how she wants to be seen. There was a variation of garments from traditional tailored suits to textured hand-combed embroidered ribbon bases. There weren’t many decorative elements, but many more minimalistic outlooks with silhouettes that will multitask. The silhouettes were comprised of components from the menswear wardrobe that were integrated into the womenswear wardrobe. The garments could truly be rearranged and worn with dissimilar pieces of the collection and nonetheless look suitable. The collection likewise included accessories (jewelry, bags, sunglasses, scarves, and gloves).
Why is Phoebe Philo’s Brand so Urgent in the Fashion Industry?
The current creative directors at fashion houses at Kering: Matthieu Blazy, Sabato de Sarno, Brendan Mullane, Demna, Anthony Vaccarello, and Sean McGirr. Illustration by Natassa Stamouli, image from 1Granary.
The current importance of why Phoebe Philo may have been such an awaited designer to due to the recent analyses of the fashion industry which is missing women in leading positions. As Sarah Burton stepped down from Alexander McQueen this year, it questioned the pattern of white men in positions, not only in Kering but in general industry. 1Granary wrote on “Fashion: It’s a white man’s world. Here is why,” commenting on the sensation,
“‘Everyone is pissed off,’ one head of design shared. ‘For me, it has nothing to do with Sean or his appointment. It’s about the pattern.’” It is ultimately about the fact that there is not much employment of women. “Out of 38 creative directors hired by Kering since 1995, five have been women. That’s 13%.” Phoebe Philo essentially reveals that women can lead a luxury maison where the clothing sells with enthusiasm. Selling to women by a woman.
